


Timeless

by WayWardWonderer



Category: Detroit: Become Human (Video Game)
Genre: ASSAULTED, AT - Freeform, AU, Accident, Adoption, Alternate Timeline, Alternate Universe, Attacked, Bonding, Brothers, Cole has a prosthetic arm, Drowning, Family, Father and Son, Fever, Future, Gen, Healing, Hurt, Kidnapping, Memories, Negotiator, OverHeat, Past, Pseudoscience, Rescue, Save, Time - Freeform, Time Travel Fix-It, Trapped, Trust, Wounded, change, cole is alive, friends - Freeform, hostage, injured, messages, new, present, saved - Freeform, sick
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-04-30
Updated: 2019-08-31
Packaged: 2020-02-10 16:40:48
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 10
Words: 74,400
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18664276
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/WayWardWonderer/pseuds/WayWardWonderer
Summary: A chance to change the flow of time allows Connor to spare his friend, Lt. Hank Anderson, the worst pain of his life. In doing so he creates a chain of events that prove their partnership and their friendship is beyond coincidence or happenstance. The duo were destined to become friends, and as a result, a true family in the end as Cole gets the chance to grow up.





	1. Timeless

A routine day at the precinct had come to an end and Connor, the android formerly sent by CyberLife, and his human partner, Lieutenant Hank Anderson, were walking out of the large brick and stone building to head to the car in the parking garage next door. As the duo made their way over to the dirty aged Oldsmobile together Hank noted the time on his phone and asked Connor if he had any plans that night he should know about.

"Going to hang out with Markus and have a social life tonight, or are you going to spend the night going through old CyberLife documents again?"

Connor gave Hank a slight tilt of his head as his L.E.D. cycled blue steadily in his right temple. "There's still a lot of files that CyberLife had hidden from the public that need to be sorted through. It is important."

"And so are _you_."

"What do you mean?" Connor asked as he put his hand on the front passenger side door handle and watched as Hank did the same on the driver's side of the car.

"I mean your life beyond work is important. Have a damn social life or something."

"I do have a social life. You."

"Son, we were assigned as partners and we _happened_ to become friends." Sitting down behind the wheel Hank put the key in the ignition and watched as Connor joined him inside the vehicle with a single graceful motion. "You can't just sit behind a desk and think that counts as having friends because you're surrounded by the same people during every shift."

"We only 'happened' to become friends?" The thought made Connor's brow furrow with deep contemplation. "Are you saying you don't want me to be at the house all the time?"

"I'm saying you need to stop living in the past and move onto the future. You can't just expect everything to work out for you because of one chance encounter that worked out for the both of us, you know?"

"...I think I understand." Connor's blue L.E.D. had cycled to yellow in his temple causing an amber aura to fill the interior of the car and reflect against the glass of the window beside him.

"You okay?" Hank quickly noticed the distressed color and reacted accordingly. "Please tell me you're not pissed off or something."

"I'm not angry. I'm just thinking about what you said about us becoming friends out of happenstance."

"Hey, I didn't mean to make it sound like you're my friend because of coincidence or some shit. We were _meant_ to be friends."

"How can you be certain that we'd be friends if we didn't get assigned as partners first?"

"I guess I can't. It's just a feeling."

"Then perhaps we aren't really friends after all. We merely associate with one another simply because it's convenient."

"Connor, no." The car pulled to gentle stop at a red light and idled there waiting for the color to change. Turning to face Connor with a stern gaze in his blue eyes Hank kept his voice level as he spoke to the deviant in a somewhat irritated tone. "You ARE my friend and I don't want to work with anyone else. Got it?"

"I-" Connor suddenly fell silent and pressed his hands to the sides of his head, his right palm covering the now red rapidly flashing L.E.D. in his temple, and let out a quiet scream of pain.

"Connor?!"

Before Hank could move his right hand over to his partner's left shoulder the deviant's body went slack and leaned heavily against his seatbelt as he slumped forward, now completely unconscious.

"Fuck! Connor? What's wrong?"

Thinking quickly Hank pulled through the intersection and sped out of the city and toward New Jericho Tower out on Belle Isle, where the infamous CyberLife Tower had once stood. It used to be a symbol of android oppression but after New Jericho claimed the building as a sanctuary it became a beacon of hope and change for deviants everywhere.

"Hang on, kid." Hank reached his right arm out and pressed his hand against Connor's chest and pushed the deviant back in his seat off of his taut seatbelt. The red tinted L.E.D. blinked slowly and reflected in a crimson hue off the window beside the unconscious deviant. "I don't know what the fuck just happened but we'll figure it out."

* * *

New Jericho Tower was a flurry of activity as the sanctuary just received a massive surge of refugees escaping surrounding discriminatory cities. The population of the tower nearly doubled over night as deviants flooded through the door and sought technical aid and repairs. Most of the deviants had been assigned personal quarters and were resting until they could be seen by Simon for repairs.

As North patrolled the main lobby of the tower and directed deviants where to go she caught sight of Hank walking through the front door with Connor unconscious over his shoulders in a 'fireman's carry'. "North, Connor went down."

"Shit. Get him to the emergency repair bay." She sounded as exhausted as Hank felt. "Markus is already there with Simon. We have a lot of downed deviants to take care of."

"Right." Tightening his hands on Connor's arm and leg Hank made his way to the elevator along with a few other deviants and made their descent to the designated floor with their unconscious allies. "Shit, how many of you are hurt?"

"It looks like forty-two so far." One of the deviant androids replied as she held up her unconscious friend against her shoulder. She noticed Connor and inquired about his presence. "Is he a refugee?"

"No. He's my partner. I don't know what's wrong with him."

"I'm sure New Jericho can save him."

"Yeah." Hank looked at Connor's unconscious face just past his right shoulder and shook his head a little. "I am, too."

* * *

Carefully Simon connected a wounded deviant to the system's analysis terminal to check his vitals and overall program stability. It wasn't as bleak as he feared but with the sudden influx of wounded deviants supplies; spare biocomponents and blue blood, were running thin. The resourcefulness of the tower's inhabitants, more importantly the leaders, were being pushed to their creative limits.

"How bad is the damage?" Markus asked Simon as he put his right hand on the wounded deviant's left shoulder in a comforting manner.

"Not as bad as I initially expected. His Thirium filter will need to be repaired, but he isn't in critical condition."

"That's somewhat of a relief, but I just got a message from North upstairs." The deviant leader's mismatched eyes were awash in worry. "Hank is bringing Connor down. He apparently collapsed from some unknown cause."

"Damn it." Simon sighed as he straightened up and gave his leader a focused stare. "We'll help him. I know it."

The door to the emergency repair opened and the senior detective walked into the room with his deviant partner still unconscious over his shoulders. The other female deviant carrying her wounded friend followed after him, and she was met by Markus who helped her out with her friend.

Hank placed Connor down gently on the closest exam table and addressed Simon in a despondent tone. "Connor went down while we were driving back from the precinct."

"What happened before he went down?" Simon asked as he clipped the long black cable to Connor's red pulsing L.E.D., then pressed his right hand down over Connor's chest to feel his Thirium pump beating and counted his pulse. "Tell me everything you can."

"He seemed to be in horrible pain, he was grabbing at his head, then he just passed out."

"Strange." Using a small penlight Simon lifted Connor's eyelids and checked his pupils then retracted his hands. "Optical relay sensors are functional. Did he suffer any damage to your knowledge?"

"No. Not that I-"

Connor sat upright suddenly on the table causing Simon to take a step back, and Connor put his left hand to his head as he gritted his teeth and took in a sharp breath to ease his mounting discomfort. "...My head."

"Connor?" Hank lightly put his left hand on the deviant's right shoulder and held his palm there for a moment. "Hey, can you tell us what's going on?"

"I don't... I can't explain it."

"Connor," Hank continued to focus on his partner while Simon checked the readout on the program analysis terminal. "what can you tell me?"

"It's... It's like I was hit with a wave of intense, vivid... Everything." Under the cable his L.E.D. kept blinking red steadily as he spoke. "It overwhelmed all of my senses and I was forced into emergency stasis mode."

"What was it? What overwhelmed you, kid?"

"I think... I think they were memories. Memories that don't belong to myself."

"Memories?"

"Without further exploration I can't... be certain."

"It's okay, son. Just take it easy and wait for your headache to go away before you try to figure this out, okay?"

Connor only nodded as he closed his eyes and breathed slowly to ease the relentless pain in his head. "...I think the memories... were a file transferred from a second android."

"I should've known you wouldn't be able to drop it." Sighing a little Hank shook his head. "Alright, do you know who sent the memories to you?"

"Yes." Dropping his hand from his head he gave Hank a tormented look. "I think I do."

"Who was it, kid?"

"...Me."

Hank's brow arched for a moment in confusion as he processed what Connor had just said. "Y-You? You sent memories from a second android and to yourself?"

"...Yes."

The revelation made both Hank and Simon stare at Connor blankly for a few seconds with utter confusion. While Simon remained quiet Hank continued to ask some questions. "How in the hell is that possible?"

"I'm not sure."

"How can you have memories from yourself that aren't yours?"

"...I think I had these memories sent to me _from_ _me_ , from somewhere in in a not too distant future. And the memories were sent for a purpose."

"What kind of purpose could that be?"

"...A warning."

"Alright, that's it." Carefully Hank pushed Connor back until he was laying down over the exam table again. "You're not leaving this tower until we both have some answers. Stay put. Simon," he looked to the blond technician who was still checking over the readout on Connor's program analysis. "can you give us an idea as to what's happening to him?"

"Maybe. I'm detecting trace amount of quantum particles throughout Connor's memorybank, and all through his intracranial processors."

Hank didn't understand the comment and the confusion on his face expressed more than his words ever could. "You found _what_?"

"It's still theoretical," Simon replied calmly as he continued to check Connor's vital signs. "but it's promising research regarding quantum particles and, well, time travel."

" _Time travel_?" Hank was as skeptical as he was confused. "You're saying Connor sent a message to himself from the future, to his past, and our present?"

"Theoretically, yes."

"How?"

"Well, through-"

"Know what?" Reacting quickly Hank stopped the explanation before it had the chance to begin. "Never mind. I won't understand anything anyway. Just tell me if Connor's hurt or in danger."

"He seems completely stable. As to why this happened only Connor can answer that."

"Kid?" Hank looked down at the deviant who was still nursing a horrific headache. "Those memories that you saw, can you isolate them and figure something out from there?"

"I can try." Closing his eyes Connor's L.E.D. cycled red and yellow in rapid succession as he tapped into the various files and sort through them in a matter of seconds. As he did Simon noted his vitals on the terminal spike for a moment then forcibly level out as if Connor willed himself to calm down. When Connor's soulful brown eyes returned he looked up at Hank once more and replied in a low voice. "...Done."

"Anything important?"

"...No. It was all a test to see if the memories could be transferred back through time." Sitting up again slowly Connor returned his left hand to his head and Simon released the cable from his L.E.D. with a gentle grip. The L.E.D. was shifting back and forth between blue and yellow as Connor sat upright on the table thinking intensely about what he had just seen. "And as we can see the test was successful."

"Fuckin' hell. You scared the shit out of me."

"That wasn't my intention."

"Yeah, I know. I'm not mad just so you know. I'm just a little freaked out."

"...If it's okay with you I'd like to stay in the tower for a while longer to have my files sorted and separated to prevent any possible incompatibility issues."

"Uh, sure. But, I thought you can do that stuff at home."

"I can, but if I have another surge of memories I'd like to be monitored. It could prove important."

"...And I thought you hate facilities."

"I do. But I hate scaring you even more."

Patting Connor's shoulder once Hank crossed his arms over his chest and finally agreed. "Alright, yeah. You're right."

"I will see you later tonight. You're exhausted and need to get some rest, otherwise you'll get sick."

"Yeah, kid." Taking a deep breath to calm himself as much as possible he agreed to take his leave and let Connor remain at the tower for additional observation until they knew exactly what was happening. "You're right. Call me if you need a ride back home sometime tonight, okay?"

"Yes. I will."

"Take it easy, son." Reluctantly Hank walked away from the table to leave his partner and friend behind for further observation. "See you in a few hours."

Simon watched as Hank took his leave of the emergency repair bay before he spoke to Connor in a discreet voice. "Connor, I saw your vitals spike when you were going through those memories. What happened?"

"...It's complicated." Connor admitted in a somber voice. "And too much to explain thoroughly."

"Did something bad happen to New Jericho?"

"No, no." He replied quickly and honestly as he sought ease Simon's worries. "The tower is safe. What I saw was more personal."

"...Do you want to talk about it?"

"No. But I would like to do some more research into the ability to send memories through time."

"Why?"

"There's something important I need to do, and I know I will succeed in the future. I just need to figure out how I will do it."

"Sure. Uh, go check out the server room." Simon suggested casually as he watched Connor slip off the edge of the exam table to head for the door to do some research. "If you need any help let me know."

"Of course. Thank you, Simon."

"I'll also let Markus know where you went in case he needs to talk to you."

* * *

Connor retreated to the relative seclusion of the server room at the basement of the tower and set about his research regarding the ability to send messages through time, and was determined to succeed. While he was fighting to focus on his research Connor struggled to keep his thoughts away from the foreign memories from the alternate time and distracting himself from his progress.

"...I know this can work," the deviant told himself in a determined voice. "but I need to-"

Another wave of pain silenced him and made Connor stumble forward and catch himself against the modem of the terminal to keep himself from falling. Slowly lowering himself to the ground to rest on his knees Connor put both of his hands to his throbbing head; his L.E.D. flickering red sporadically, and endured the horrific and inexplicable pain.

"...No... Not now. I need to focus!"

"Connor?!" Markus saw his friend was in distress and practically slid on his knees as he rushed to Connor's side. "Connor, let me take you back to the emergency repair bay. You're hurt."

"No!" Connor shook his head and focused entirely on Markus's face as the pain mercilessly let him go. "No, it's okay now."

"What happened? Can you move at all?"

"...Markus. I have a very big favor to ask of you, and I wouldn't ask if it weren't important." Connor took a deep breath and turned to face his friend kneeling on the floor beside him. "It's more important than anything I've ever asked of you."

"What is it?"

"...I need you to send a message to yourself in the past, and I need you to do it tonight."

"A message to... the past?" Markus didn't know what Connor was talking about but he was willing to listen and try to help. "I... I don't know how to do that."

"I can show you."

"Show me? What're you talking about?"

Connor retracted the skin over his right palm and extended his hand out toward Markus to take in his grip. "I have to show you this. It's far too much to explain, but once you see what I'm talking about you'll understand everything."

"...Alright." Markus removed the artificial from the palm of his own right hand and accepted Connor's grip. As the two deviants connected their minds Markus prepared himself for the sudden impending rush of strange images. "I'll trust you."

The two deviants cybernetically connected their minds a flash of information; images, sounds, aromas and even emotions transferred over from Connor's mind and into Markus. The red glow of Connor's blinking L.E.D. reflected off the screens of the surrounding terminals, and glistened off the metal bodied of the surrounding computer modems with a crimson flare that engulfed the whole server room.

Markus let out a shocked gasp as he pulled his hand from Connor's grip and shot to his feet. "Connor..." He now fully understood why Connor so desperately wanted his help on this very peculiar matter. It was very important and revolved around life and death. "Was that... Was that really who I think it was?"

"Yes." Connor confirmed as he got to his feet slowly and regenerated the artificial skin over his palm. His L.E.D. cycled to a distressed yellow as he locked eyes with his friend. "Now that you know the truth will you help me?"

Looking down at his own right hand Markus clenched it into a tight fist as the artificial skin regenerated over his appendage like tide. "Yeah." He subtly nodded and agreed to help his friend. "I'll do whatever it takes to help you."

* * *

Driving back to the house alone Hank pulled the car along the driveway beside the modest home and put the large vehicle in park. With a tired sigh he opened the car door and slammed it shut behind him as he trudged toward the backdoor of the house with a slow gait and the keys in his hand. As soon as he opened the backdoor he was greeted by Sumo who pressed his nose to Hank's left hand before he trudged out into the backyard for a few moments to take care of business.

"Good dog."

Hank glanced about the open house and felt alone for the first time since Connor moved in the morning after the Revolution. What was supposed to be a favor for a friend turned into an indefinite stay of a good partner, and a damn good friend.

"This place isn't the same without you two boys. It's for damn sure different without Barb here to talk with, too."

With a heavy heart Hank opened the refrigerator and pushed aside a few plastic storage containers full of leftovers and grabbed the six pack of beer he had bought a few months back out of an old bad habit. Pulling one of the bottles out of the small cardboard container and unscrewed the cap and downed the amber drink.

"...Fuckin' hell."

Sumo scratched at the backdoor and Hank let the massive bundle of fluff back inside the house as he continued to drink.

"...Good dog, Sumo."

Ever loyal Sumo continued to stay by Hank's legs as the senior detective walked into the livingroom and plopped heavily into the recliner and kicked off his shoes. As he leaned back in the recliner he put his feet up and had Sumo resting his chin over Hank's right shin as he wagged his tail slowly.

"Yeah, I know. It's not the same without at least one of 'em here, huh, Sumo?." Downing another mouthful of beer Hank put his hand on Sumo's head and held it there as he rubbed the large dog's soft ears. "Connor will be back later, boy."

Sumo seemed to recognize the name and he wagged his tail a little more.

"Too bad they _all_ can't come back." Finishing off the beer Hank placed the empty glass bottle on the floor beside the chair and raked his right fingers through his gray locks of hair as he restrained a modest belch. "But having one back home will have to do for now. I'll see Cole again when my dumbass finally crosses over to the other side."

* * *

With the assistance of both Connor and Simon in the privacy of the server room Markus sat in a chair and had a analysis diagnostic and monitoring cable attached to his right temple. Under Simon's supervision the deviant leader allowed his intracranial processor to be steadily flooded with quantum particles as he focused on connecting to his own memorybank on a specific date in time four years into the past.

"...I can feel my software connecting to... something." Markus's mismatched eyes were closed and his features relaxed as he concentrated on sending the message to himself in the past. "I think it's... Yeah, it's me. I'm connecting to myself."

Connor was studying Markus's face with an intensely curious stare. "Are you in any pain?"

"No. It feels like I'm... dreaming. It's very unusual."

Simon continued to monitor Markus's vitals as he slowly and carefully adjusted the necessary concentrated flow of particles into Markus's memorybank. "Let me know if your head is beginning to hurt. I don't want to overwhelm your senses."

"...It's okay. It's just surreal."

Getting a little anxious Connor watched Markus's every reaction, no matter how subtle, very carefully. "Have you made the correct connection on the correct date?"

"...Yeah. October 11th, 2035."

"Time of day?" Connor's L.E.D. cycled yellow in rapid distress.

"It's... It's currently nine-fourteen in the morning."

Connor's hands were clenched into tight fists as he crossed his arms over his chest. "...And your memory in the past is receiving the message?"

"Yeah, it's getting through." Markus slowly opened his mismatched eyes and gave Connor a nod of confident approval. Taking a deep breath Markus allowed Simon to remove the cable from his temple as he stayed seated in the chair. "...It worked. The message was delivered."

"You're certain?"

"Yes. I'm one-hundred percent certain." Running his right hand over his right temple Markus felt a strange wave of energy passing through him. "I can... I can feel a new memory setting in. Connor, you need to get to Hank quickly before the full repercussions set in and change things."

"You're right." Reaching his right hand out toward Markus for one final handshake Connor eagerly hailed a taxi through cybernetic communication. "In case this one change affects... certain events, I just wanted to thank you."

"Connor," Markus grabbed onto his friend's hand and stood upright from the chair. "it'll be alright. Go home and see Hank."

"I'll see you soon, right?"

"Right. You're my friend, Connor."

Retracting his hand Connor gave Simon a nod of respect as he quickly turned on his heels and made his way through the elevator door to get back up to the ground floor of the tower as quickly as possible. As the elevator ascended Connor could feel a strange pressure in his head as he too began to feel a strange wave of energy washing over him.

The elevator reached the ground floor and the deviant detective stumbled through the parted doors and out of the tower to the front drive as the cybernetically summoned autonomous taxi reached its destination. Fumbling with the door Connor climbed into the back and leaned heavily against the seat as his L.E.D. shifted from yellow and into red as the pain in his head began to mount quickly.

"...Shit." Pressing his both of his hands to the side of his head again Connor leaned into his palms as he felt like his intracranial processor was about to explode. "I need to get to Hank. I need... I need to tell him what's h-happening!"

Forcing himself to concentrate on his new mission, forcing himself to ignore the pain and make it back home before he gave into the agony of his own mind trying to tear itself apart, Connor put in the house's address on the taxi's G.P.S. to take him back home. The drive was swift and smooth, but it felt like it was taking forever as the deviant endured his pain, and could feel himself beginning to overheat.

Connor didn't feel the cab pulling to a gentle stop until the door beside him opened automatically. A feminine, artificial voice instructed Connor to pay for the fare and exit the vehicle, which he did with a clumsy effort.

Stumbling up the front walk and toward the front door of the house with L.E.D. still flashing in red distress Connor put his hand on the door knob and forced the door open in a single abrupt motion. "...H-Hank?"

"Connor?" The senior detective was still in the recliner and quickly got to his feet and rushed toward the door where Connor was beginning to fall to his knees in pain. Grabbing onto Connor by hooking his hands under Connor's arms Hank hefted the deviant back up to his feet and carried him over to the couch very slowly. "Connor, what's wrong?"

"...M-My head. Everything is-"

"Easy, kid." Laying Connor down over the length of the couch Hank put his right hand to the deviant's forehead and noted the rapid flashing of Connor's red L.E.D. with righteous concern. "Shit, you're burning yourself up!"

"Hank!" Connor grabbed onto Hank's wrist in a tight but non-aggressive grip as he looked up to the senior detective with a pleading gaze. "Listen to me! That warning to the past will affect you, too!"

"What the hell are you talking about?"

"The message was my attempt to right a wrong and I... I..." Connor's strength wore out as he suddenly lost the ability to speak.

"Connor?"

"...H-Ha..."

"Lay still, I'll be right back."

Connor watched through his blurring eyes as Hank walked out of the livingroom and disappeared from sight down the hallway. A mass of confusing images and memories flooded his every sense causing the deviant incredible pain and made his aching head throb even worse. As his eyes began to slip shut against his will, emergency stasis mode once again threatening to steal his consciousness, Connor briefly saw Hank hovering over him and smoothing out a cool washcloth over his too warm forehead.

"Connor, you need to rest." Hank instructed as his hand pressed down over the washcloth and his voice began to muffle in Connor's ears. "You'll be okay, son. I'm going to call Markus and ask him if can help us."

Darkness swam over Connor's blurry vision and the world around him disappeared behind his eyelids in an instant.

"You'll be okay... I promise, son."

* * *

Eight hours passed with Connor in emergency stasis mode to keep his intracranial processors and his biocomponents from overheating. One by one his programs rebooted and automatically ran an analysis on his overall function. The deviant detective was fortunately stable and rebooting to optimal functioning parameters steadily without needing technical intervention.

"-nor?" Hank spoke to the deviant in a soft tone of voice as his right hand went back to the cool washcloth over Connor's forehead. "Can you hear me?"

It took a moment but eventually Connor found his voice and responded. "...Y-Yes."

"Finally." The senior detective sounded genuinely relieved. "You scared me, son."

"...I'm sorry."

"I know that. Lay still for a few more minutes."

"...I... I lost consciousness."

"Yeah, you did. You came home last night after working with Markus at New Jericho and passed out with a high fever almost as soon as you walked through the front door."

"...I was trying to tell you something. Something important."

"Take it easy, okay? Your fever just broke over an hour ago."

"Hank, it's-"

"Lay still." Hank put his left hand against Connor's chest and held him down as he counted Connor's heartbeat under his palm. "I'm not going anywhere today, so you just rest for a little while and then we can talk."

"It's important."

"So is your health, son. How many times do I have to tell you that?" He moved his hand from Connor's chest and sighed a little as he watched Connor trying to open his eyes. "Don't say you're 'sorry' and don't move around. Sleep for a while longer and you can tell me everything later."

"...O-Okay."

"Good. I'll keep quiet so you can sleep."

"...Sumo?"

"Sumo's down the hall. He'll be all yours once you wake up."

Connor nodded slowly as he sunk down against the thick pillow that was placed beneath his head and pulled on the dark navy blue blanket that was draped over him as he slept. He listened as Hank walked out of the livingroom very slowly and seemed to disappear down the hallway and into his bedroom for a few more hours before finally getting around that morning.

After an additional two hours Connor was roused by the presence of someone watching him and the smell of someone else cooking in the kitchen.

"Hey, let him alone for a while." Hank called out in a gentle but stern voice. "Come get your breakfast. French toast just like you wanted."

Connor couldn't place the presence, and yet he somehow knew that the person belonged there in the house and had every right to be there with him. As the presence walked out of the livingroom and into the kitchen Connor took in a deep calming breath and nearly fell asleep again as his system struggled to keep himself stable and prevent any additional overheating.

Sumo walked over to the couch and pressed his cold wet nose to the side of Connor's neck, then trotted into the kitchen to clean up some scraps on the floor.

Doing his best to remain calm and quiet Connor manually turned down his senses to help him tune out the two voices speaking in the kitchen and keep the morning sunlight from disturbing his optical sensors as he tried to rest as instructed. Focusing on the time Connor noted that twenty minutes passed by and the presence returned to the livingroom, along with Hank, and sat down on the floor by the front door.

Turning his senses back to full capacity Connor caught the tail end of a conversation as the front door opened. Sitting up on the couch very slowly Connor pressed his left hand to his forehead and turned to look over the back of the couch to look at the front door, only to have his eyes go wide with utter confusion. He got to his feet slowly as he scanned the livingroom then stared at the front door as Hank spoke to the second presence that had been watching Connor as he had slept on the couch.

"Have a good day at school, Cole. I'll see later."

"Bye, dad." Cole was standing in the doorway of the house with his backpack over his shoulders and a smile on his face. The boy was ten years old now, and had shaggy brown hair and Hank's dark blue eyes. His left arm was a bionic prosthetic from the middle of his humerus down to his fingertips that perfectly imitated a human arm while still looking completely android. Cole noticed Connor was standing up and acknowledged the deviant staring at him with his wide brown eyes. "Bye, Connor."

"...B-Bye." Connor instinctively replied in a low but still audible voice.

Hank watched as Cole jogged down the front walk and climbed into the backseat of the carpool and headed off to school before closing the door. Turning around to face Connor the senior detective locked eyes on the deviant and then arched a brow. "I'd ask if you're feeling better but you look like you're about to throw-up or something."

"...H-Hank? I don't understand. What's going on?"

"That fever must've melted a part of your brain." Hank commented as he approached Connor, walking around the now black leather sectional couch and put his right hand to Connor's forehead. Sumo finally walked out of the kitchen and rested his chin on Connor's knee affectionately as the deviant all but collapsed back down to the couch to rest. "Whoa, easy. You're shaky, you're confused and you haven't called me 'Hank' at home since last summer."

Turning to face Hank directly Connor gave the senior detective an inquisitive stare. "...'Lieutenant'?"

"And you haven't called me _that_ since the night of the Revolution."

"...Revolution?"

"Connor, do you need to go see a technician?"

The deviant scanned Hank's body and found vastly different readings than he initially had registered and compared the two readings with a quick but entirely accurate analysis: Hank's weight was twenty-two pounds less than it had been, his cholesterol level was at a healthy number, there was no cirrhosis of the liver, or building arthritis in his joints or back from prolonged inactivity and poor diet. Even Hank's hair was different. It was still gray but trimmed and styled in a more professional cut, and his beard was trimmed much shorter and was only a modest goatee.

"...Hank?" Connor kept looking around and saw that the house was different as well. "I don't... Everything seems different."

It was bigger than the house he remembered but still modest. The interior of the livingroom was a cool slate gray color with white trim on the paneling and front door. The hardwood floor was dark and the front window was a massive bay window overlooking the larger front lawn. Furnished with the long 'L' shaped black leather couch, a matching recliner, long ovular shaped glass coffee table, television on a black metal stand, and a single massive bookshelf stretched over the entirety of the far wall leading to the hallway; the livingroom was as homey as it had been in the old house. Dozens of framed photographs lining the walls only accentuated the feeling of being in a loving, warm home.

"This is... your house?"

"Connor," Hank put his left hand on Connor's right shoulder to study his face closely. "son, what's going on? You're really out of it."

"I don't..." Everything was so strange and it was still making him feel overwhelmed. "Was that... Was that _Cole_?"

" _Yeeeaaah_..." The senior detective was studying Connor's face and moved his hand from the deviant's shoulder to the center of his chest to count the beats of his thundering heart. "Cole went to school and he'll be back a little after three. That's what he's been doing every day since he started kindergarten."

"...Cole is ten years old."

"That's right. He turned ten last month."

"Hank..." Connor put his head to his hands and leaned forward against his legs as if he were trying to make himself feel grounded. "Hank, I don't understand."

"Me neither, son. What's going on with you? I called Fowler while you were asleep and when I was making Cole his breakfast, so he knows you're too sick to come in today. Relax and tell me what's going on."

"...It's a very long and... Hank." The deviant was struggling to keep his contradicting thoughts together. "There's so much to tell you."

"Then start talking."

"I don't want to scare you."

"Son, you acting the way you are right now is already scaring me." Pulling Connor's right hand away from the right side of his head he looked at the deviant's now exposed right temple and sighed. "Sometimes I wish you kept that damn light. It made it easier to figure out what was wrong with you based on the color."

"My light?" Connor's right fingertips brushed against his right temple where his L.E.D. had been located, but now how had long since been removed. "...It's gone."

"Okay, that's it." Taking hold of Connor's right arm around his elbow Hank tried to pull the deviant up to his feet. "I'm taking you to see a technician."

"No! No... I'll be okay. Just give me a minute to think."

"I knew your fever was high but I didn't know it was high enough to mess with your memory!"

"...Fever?"

"Do you remember coming home from New Jericho last night?"

"I... I do. I walked into the livingroom and I tried to tell you something important, but the pain in my head made it impossible. You helped me over to the couch to lay down and before I could tell you I was forced into emergency stasis mode."

"That's right. And you were burning up all night until almost five this morning. When your fever broke you were still kind of out of it and you've been confused all morning since you woke up. Do you remember what you were trying to tell me before you passed out?"

"...I do." Connor looked at Hank and was struggling to keep his nearly overwhelmed emotions in check. "We need to talk, but I think you should start."

"Uh, start where?"

"The day we met." The answer was completely unexpected but accurate. "I need you to tell me everything that happened up until today."

"...Alright, son." Staying focused on Connor's request Hank decided to answer the questions and listen to what Connor had to say. "I'll tell you everything I remember, then you're going to answer a few questions of my own."

"Yes, of course."

* * *

Over a span of two hours while sitting at the larger kitchen table Hank told Connor everything that had happened when the two first met, and Connor found himself able to easily tap into the alternate memories and accept them as truth. Connor scanned over the kitchen and noted the whit, tile linoleum floor, pure white cabinets, dark bluish/gray colored walls, white trim, new white colored appliances and large window over the kitchen sink filled the room in natural light. Everything was clean, organized and felt of a loving home.

While Hank told Connor all of the details of their first encounter and of their time leading up to the Revolution and the time afterward Connor prepared to tell Hank about the alternate reality in which he had been living. It was easier to start from the beginning of their encounter and leave Cole's fate out of it for the moment.

"So the first time we met it wasn't at the old house on Michigan Avenue, it was inside 'Jimmy's Bar'?" Hank was almost laughing at the absurdity of the claim since he rarely ever drank. "Seriously?"

"Yes." Connor confirmed as Sumo plopped down with an audible grumble as he laid between the two detectives beneath the kitchen table. "I had tracked you down to the bar after searching four others before it."

"Man, that seems so wild. I clearly remember you knocking on my front door and introducing yourself to me, and getting Cole getting all riled up."

"Riled up?"

"It's not everyday a kid's dad gets to work with a state of the line prototype android to solve crimes." Hank was unusually upbeat and his demeanor was nothing like his defeated and broken personality that stemmed from the loss of his son. "If it wasn't for the babysitter putting her hand on his shoulder he would've climbed into the backseat of the car and followed us to the crime scene."

"...The crimes scene. A murdered human?"

"Yeah. He abused his android and brought it on himself." The detail between the two timelines remained consistent unlike a few others. "I had to tell the patrolling officers that you were with me when we got to the scene, and when you figured out what happened and found the suspect hiding in the attic they never had a problem with you showing up at crimes scenes ever again."

"...And the following interrogation?"

"Well, you managed to get the suspect to talk and he confessed to killing his owner because he was tired of being beaten and realized it was unfair. The poor deviant would've self destructed if you hadn't intervened, even when Gavin tried to get you to back off. Fortunately me drawing my own gun and pointing it at Gavin was all it took to make him leave you alone."

"I remember that." The memory made sense and Connor could see it vividly. "What about the following morning?"

"Uh, let's see. I was at my desk when you showed up and started working on deviant case files at the terminal across from me. You decided it'd be easier to work on the most recent cases and work backward, and honed in on another case of a deviant attacking their owner and fleeing from the night before."

"...Kara. She was hiding out at the hotel with Alice when we went to investigate it. She slipped out before we could get to her."

"Right. We took off after her when a patrolling cop recognized her, and you were ready to scale the chainlink fence to go after her. I grabbed onto your shoulder and ordered you to stay put so you didn't get hit by a car."

"Did she make it across the highway safely?"

"Of course she did. It was close but she and Alice made it, and then made it over the border to Canada the night of the Revolution."

"What happened to us after that?"

"Well, I got hungry and went to grab a bite to eat."

"Did you go to the 'Chicken Feed'?"

"Yup. Like I said, Gary and his customers aren't doing anything worth wasting mine, or their times, with arresting them over petty shit."

"...It was raining that morning and afternoon."

"Yeah. I asked you to sit in the car when I got my lunch so you didn't soaked, but you followed me anyway. That's when you told me about your first mission as a hostage negotiator and of how you saved that little girl on the top of the apartment complex."

"And the deviant who took her hostage?"

"Nothing you could've done to save him, son. S.W.A.T. took him out even after you talked him down and let the girl go."

"No matter what I did, Daniel died anyway." The grim thought and memory were both clear and therefore factual. "Did we go check out an apartment where a deviant had been seen after we lost sight of Kara?"

"Yup. The deviant was hiding out in a crappy apartment that wasn't supposed to be inhabited, and freaked when we got too close to him. He was feeding pigeons and working on a rooftop greenhouse to make ends meet. When he ran from us he pushed me out of the way and tried to escape, but you chased him down over the rooftops." Hank ran his left hand nervously over his goatee as he spoke with Connor about the entire event. "That guy almost knocked me off the roof during the chase, and I would've fallen to my death if you hadn't pulled me back up. You saved my life, son."

"What happened after that?" The events played out the same and Connor could feel everything was accurate. "Where did we go?"

"Well, I went home for the rest of the day to shake off almost falling to my death, and to check in with Cole after he got home from school. You showed up later that evening to take me to another murder scene at that deranged 'Eden Club' Hellhole. Some idiot got too rough with a Traci and-"

"And her friend strangled the man after he killed one of the Tracis. She went into the club's storage area to hide out and escape with her lover, but we stopped her escape. She and her lover attacked us and I... I chose to let her go. Right?"

"That's right. You had them both in your line of sight but you didn't pull the trigger. You listened to their story first and then let them go. It was the right thing to do and I was glad you chose to look the other way."

"...They made it to Jericho."

"And that was the first time I saw you make a decision that made you... feel. _Really feel_."

"Feel?"

"Sure. When you chose to show empathy to the deviant android in the interrogation you showed you were becoming more deviant and less machine." Hank began listing off the reasons with utter confidence in his voice. "When you chose to listen to me and not risk your life on the highway because I didn't want you to get killed you recognized yourself as a living being and became more deviant. When you chose to save my life instead of chasing the suspect as you were ordered to do you were becoming deviant right before my eyes. And when I saw you spare the lives of those two innocent deviants at the club I knew without a doubt that you were in fact alive." Hank put his right hand to Connor's left shoulder and held it there for a moment. "You saw those two girls are living, feeling beings and I know you felt in your heart, too. That's why you didn't pull the trigger."

"Hank," Connor was getting more tense as he spoke with his closest friend and he was on the verge of losing his emotional composure. "...where did we go after we left the club?"

"We went to the park that overlooks Ambassador Bridge for a couple of hours. I needed to stop and think for a while. And you needed a quiet moment to comprehend what you just went through."

"What happened while we were at the bridge?"

"I sat on a bench in the cold snow and wind thinking to myself while you sat in the car for a moment. You came and joined me, insisting that I go home to Cole but I wasn't ready just yet. Being nine years old meant Cole was still really innocent, he still is even today, and I don't ever want him to see it when I get lost working on a case. The distant stare in a detective's eyes is something kids just don't understand."

"...What did we talk about while we were at the bridge?"

"The case and RA9."

"There was no alcohol or... a gun?"

"Alcohol and a gun?" The question was unexpected as it was unusual. "What happened in those other memories you have?"

"We... We weren't so understanding as partners in this other timeline. You didn't like me at all, and the night at the bridge things reached their breaking point for us."

"What did I do to you in that other timeline?"

"...You bought some beer, started drinking and when I mentioned that the deviants we let go weren't alive you pulled your gun on me. You asked me if I was really alive and kept pushing me. When I didn't cave in or give you the reaction you wanted you put your gun away and went off somewhere to keep drinking alone."

"Holy... Connor, I pointed my _gun_ at you?"

"I know it wasn't anything personal and that your reaction came from a dark painful place. I've never held it against you, or felt threatened by you ever since."

"Man, it sounds like I was kind of a prick in your other timeline."

"No. You were gruff but not a bad guy. You-"

"Alright, alright, so back to the night of the Revolution." It was clear Hank was unsettled by the knowledge he had it in him to point his gun at Connor, and needed to change the subject. "After we spent some time at the park I dropped you off at the drive leading to CyberLife Tower and I went home. The next afternoon Markus and his team infiltrated the Stratford Broadcast Tower and delivered their message."

"A message of peace."

"And hope." Hank confirmed with a single nod.

"When we went to investigate the tower we found evidence of non-aggression from Markus and Jericho while the responding officers needlessly opened fire. One of the deviants, Simon, had been injured and hid out on the roof out of sight."

"And you chose to not follow the trail of blue blood. You told me later when I was patching you up that you intentionally let him go because you didn't want any innocent deviants to die after seeing their message for peace being carried throughout the city."

"...You patched me up?"

"Yeah. That one deviant working for the broadcast station attacked you when you were interrogating him in the kitchen."

"That's right. He stabbed a kitchen knife through the palm of my left hand and pinned me to the countertop, then tore out my Thirium pump regulator. I kicked over a nearby chair to make some noise and managed to get my hand free, get to the regulator on the floor and put it back into place before I shutdown. Afterward I went after the deviant and had no choice but to shoot him after he grabbed a gun and tried to open fire on us and the other officers investigating the scene."

"Uh..." The reaction was as open as it was somber. "...That was mostly right."

"That isn't... what happened?" Connor's brow furrowed again as he watched Hank's face pale a little. "What happened at the tower?"

"You were attacked by the deviant in the kitchen, just like you said, but there was one big difference." Letting out a soft sigh he told Connor what was unique about the encounter. "I went to check on you after I saw the deviant leave the kitchen and I found you on the floor trying to get to your missing biocomponent. You were bleeding a little and couldn't get to the biocomponent because that chair you kicked over in your _other_ timeline was still standing in _this_ timeline, and now in your way."

"...I shutdown?"

"Almost. I found you and turned you from your chest so you were laying on your back and held you in my arms. You kept telling me that the android who attacked was in fact a deviant and needed to be stopped, but I didn't care about that. You, uh, you closed your eyes and let out a weak breath making your L.E.D. thing turn off. When I was looking down at you, trying to figure out what the hell happened, I saw the blue blood on your abdomen and the hole torn into your body." Taking in another breath Hank paused before continuing on. "I looked around and saw that biocomponent sitting on the floor just a few inches from where I found you, so I picked it up and put it back in your abdomen."

"You saved me."

"Mostly. You were still out of it and not responding after I put the biocomponent back, so I had to put you down on the floor and give you a few chest compressions to get your pump to start pumping again. You were down for about two minutes until you suddenly gasped for breath and rebooted. It was too damn close but you made it."

"You really did save my life."

"You saved me first. You pulled me up from the roof and I put your biocomponent back into place."

"What happened after that?"

"Well, I took you back to the house instead of taking you to CyberLife Tower to get you cleaned up, and so you could rest. I didn't know what those CyberLife assholes would do to you since you almost died and 'let the suspect get away' because you were incapacitated. Once I got your abdomen bandaged up I left you to rest on the couch and Cole came home from school to see you hanging out in the livingroom. He was thrilled."

"...Cole was never afraid of me?"

"Not for one second. Hell, you helped him with his science homework and you gave his prosthetic arm a few free upgrades while he was taking a bath."

"I upgraded Cole's arm?"

"How could you not remember _that_? You turned that limb from a nearly immobile piece of plastic into an articulated limb beyond just the elbow." The pride in Hank's voice spoke volumes of his gratitude toward Connor helping out his young son. "You gave him a functioning wrist and all five fingers again. That made him happier than anything since the night of the accident."

"...I'm glad I could make him happy."

"You should be. He started going outside and playing with his friends again, and even tried out for little league and made the team the following spring. That was something we didn't think he'd ever get to do again after he lost his arm."

Connor smirked a little as he thought about how he had managed to improve Cole's life, even if that memory was still fuzzy in his mind. The more he focused on the memory the clearer it became until it was as vivid and detailed as if he had just experienced the moment that very morning. He could see the smile on Cole's face when Connor helped him place the prosthetic back over his left arm and showed him how the enhanced limb could now respond to the muscles in his arm and electronic impulses of his own brain just like his original arm used to do. That was the day Cole decided that Connor was the coolest android in the entire world.

"...Our next case," the smirk faded slowly as Connor sought more details on the cases that he and Hank had been assigned to work together. "what happened after that?"

"We went to speak to Elijah Kamski at his personal residence on the harbor. He kept giving intentionally cryptic answers and then put a gun in your hand with an ultimatum."

"...If I pulled the trigger and killed Chloe he'd give us the information we needed. But I didn't do it."

"No, son. You let Chloe live and that's when I knew for certain that all androids were alive. You saw her as a living being despite being an android yourself. I was very proud of you."

"I didn't pull the trigger in either timeline." Connor put his elbows up on the top of the kitchen table and pressed his palms up against his face as he leaned against his hands. His shoulders slumped with heavy relief. "I'm glad I made the right choice. _Twice_."

"Yeah, you made the right choice."

"And Jericho?"

"Fowler took us off the case because it was starting to turn into a civil war in the middle of the city, but you were bound and determined to figure out where to go so CyberLife didn't deactivate you. I went after that F.B.I. asshole, Perkins, and provided a distraction for you. You got into the basement, after insulting Gavin," both detectives smirked at that comment. "and put together enough pieces of the puzzle through our collected evidence and found a trail to follow. You punched out Gavin when he tried to stop you, then you took off alone to get to Jericho. After all that I was sent home to 'cool off' and begin my two week suspension for assaulting Perkins."

"...I went out into the city and found Jericho." The deviant's memories were flowing together more easily and he was able to piece together the bits and pieces of his 'new' memories during this alternate timeline. "And I became fully deviant when I met with Markus. We worked together to protect as many deviants as possible from the F.B.I. raid, and managed to reconvene at the abandoned church after we sank Jericho into the depths of the harbor. From there I went to CyberLife Tower to wake up the other androids in storage and give the deviants a fighting chance by strength in numbers."

"...Yeah." Hank paled again and he turned away from Connor's face. "The tower."

"Hank?" A sinking pit formed in his stomach and made him feel sick. "What happened at the tower?"

"Well, when I was at the house I sensed that something was... wrong. Sumo was out in the backyard whimpering and began to bark like he could feel it, too. I went to check on Cole and that's when I saw the red glow of an L.E.D. light in his bedroom."

"...My machine-android counterpart from CyberLife." The revelation was disheartening to say the least. "He threatened Cole." Connor was feeling even sicker and was quite surprised he didn't actually throw-up upon learning someone with his likeness, and 'dedication', would threaten an innocent little boy. "...What did he do to Cole?"

"That 'evil-twin' bastard held his gun toward Cole's head and told me that if I didn't go with him that he'd shoot my son in cold blood as he slept."

"Hank, I-"

"I agreed to go with him and surrendered my service weapon in the process. We took an autonomous cab to the tower and he used me as a hostage to try to control you after you showed up. It didn't work though. You stopped that bastard before he could shoot me, but that didn't stop him from getting a shot off and getting you in the shoulder. You answered in the same though, so at least it was even. And then I had to figure out who was who without making any mistakes in the process."

"How did you do it?"

"I tried asking a couple questions; where'd we first meet, Sumo's name and Cole's name, but since the bastard had been to my house that meant he knew enough about me to answer in the like. Hell, he even knew when to break in the house AFTER I let Sumo into the yard, and went after my son. He knew Cole AND Sumo existed, so I asked about our time at the broadcast tower."

"...I would've have never told CyberLife about nearly dying at the hands of the escaped deviant, so he wouldn't have known about it, either."

"Bingo. All you had to do was admit to being attacked, shutting down and losing the deviant; something that machine bastard could never admit to, and I took him down. You woke up the rest of the deviants and led them to Hart Plaza to help Markus with his peaceful protest."

"...You went back home to be with Cole and you both watched what happened on the news. That's when you packed up Cole in the car with Sumo and went to the 'Chicken Feed' to find me. You... You took care of my wounded shoulder and brought me back to the house to give me a home after everything happened."

"And a family."

Smirking a little again Connor heard the sincerity in Hank's voice. "...And my family." Connor relaxed again, his stomach no longer vice-like knot, and he felt at ease at long last. "You decided to move into _this_ house because you didn't feel safe at the old house after my machine counterpart snuck in, and pointed a gun at Cole."

"That, and because the old house only had two bedrooms. We needed a bigger place to live after you joined the family."

"You moved into a bigger house for Cole, and for _me_?"

"Hell yeah. You were insistent that the couch was fine but I didn't like it. And Cole wanted you to room with him, but I liked that even less."

"Why?"

"The last thing I needed was a nine year old sitting up all night asking a million questions to a deviant who would gladly answer every single one of them, instead of telling him to go to sleep."

"...Oh."

"Do you remember everything that happened now?"

"I think so. Markus moved Jericho and the other surviving deviants into the abandoned CyberLife Tower after CyberLife went bankrupt, right?"

"Yup." The confirmation was very grounding and reassuring. "They took over the tower and the city has been doing better ever since."

"And Markus and I are still friends?"

"Hell yeah. You were the best man at his bonding ceremony."

"...That's right. Markus and North are bondmates."

"Connor, I have to ask. What was it in the other timeline that made me such a damn hard-ass? There had to be a good reason for me to hate all androids."

"Hank, I-"

"Please. I have to know." Hank gave the deviant a stern glance from where he sat. "From what it sounds like I went through something terrible and I almost killed myself. I need to know what almost happened."

"...Just so you know what happened was NOT your fault."

"Please stop stalling and tell me the truth."

With a heavy heart Connor had the misfortune of telling Hank about the alternate timeline where Cole didn't survive the car accident, and died due to hospital neglect. He told Hank how Cole's death had sent Hank spiraling into a deep dark depression that almost killed him. How the only reason Hank didn't take his life is because he opened up to Connor and let someone get close to him for the first time since the funeral.

As he told Hank the truth Connor could see the fear, relief, pain and shock in his blue eyes. "...I'm sorry I had to tell you that."

"Connor." Hank folded his arms across his chest and fought to keep himself from letting tears fall. "The day of the accident I was told by the hospital staff that an android anonymously called and warned that the on-call surgeon scheduled for that night was high off his ass, and unfit to operate. The police did a wellness check at the doctor's residence and found him knee deep in 'red ice', and so fucked up he could barely stand. If he had gone to the hospital..."

"There wouldn't have been a surgeon capable of saving Cole at the hospital."

Hank laughed a little as he rubbed his right hand over his goatee and looked over at Connor with utter appreciation in his eyes. "When you came home sick last night I called Markus to ask for his help. All he said was to wait it out and listen to everything you had to tell me. He also said that when you did I'd finally know who the android was who warned the hospital."

"...Markus received the message in the past."

"And you're the one who sent it to him."

"I had to try."

"Connor, _you changed the course of time_ to save my son! How in the hell did you do that?!"

Connor shook his head a little as he took a deep breath and accessed the memories that had been sent to him, from himself, from the not too distant future. "I did this in the year 2064. You were... gone. And I was alone. I had gone to work at New Jericho with CyberLife's technical replacement, 'Digital Sentience', to aid android development and progress. While there the technicians began experimenting with quantum particle transference of data and memories."

"...They were experimenting with whether or not messages could be sent through time?"

"Correct."

"And you volunteered to send the message?"

"Apparently so. Yes."

"You chose to find a way to save Cole's life." Hank was fighting to keep himself from breaking down at the revelation. It was too incredible to be true, and yet, it already happened. "You could've done something like warn the deviants about the F.B.I. invading Jericho and prepared accordingly. Hell, you could've even warned Markus about Leo showing up and disrupting his life and sending Carl's health into a downward spiral. But you chose to save Cole. Why?"

"...I don't know. I guess it made sense to try to save the life of one innocent boy instead of affecting the lives of deviants or stopping certain events that played out for the best in the end for those involved. I never knew Cole in the alternate timeline but you swore that he'd like me and see me as his brother. It seems you were right."

"Connor."

"Yes?"

Hank threw his arms around Connor and gave the deviant a tight hug as he began silently weeping tears of gratitude onto Connor's shoulder. "Thank you. You gave me back my son. You gave Cole back his life. You saved me from unspeakable horror and depression, and then you gave me another son."

"...Another son?"

"Connor, come on!" It was hard to keep Hank from shouting in the deviant's ear. "I legally adopted you last summer and made you officially my son!"

"...That's right. I remember now." Connor slowly wrapped his own arms around Hank and reciprocated the hug. "It was my birthday present last summer. You adopted me and named after you: Connor Henry Anderson."

"Yeah..." Hank patted Connor's back as the deviant acknowledged the moment and remembered the details. "Thank fuck you at least remember _that_."

"...It was Cole's idea to tell me about it on my birthday."

"And that's when you stopped calling me Hank all the time when we're off the clock."

"I call you 'dad' when we're home."

"Damn right you do."

Connor took in a shuddering breath as he too began to weep from the emotional memories overwhelming his mind and heart. As he pressed his face down against Hank's shoulder he cried softly with utter gratitude in his words. "...Then it's true."

"What's true, son?"

"We were always meant to be friends, to be a family. It wasn't happenstance after all."

"Connor, you're my son. It doesn't matter what timeline or what circumstances. You're MY son, that'll NEVER change."

"...You're right. Thank you for everything." Tightening his hug Connor felt a sense of inner peace he had never known and welcomed it with all his heart. His decisions were the right ones to make. "Thank you, _dad_."

_**-next chapter-** _


	2. Family Bonds

Taking in his new surroundings Connor slowly walked through the oddly familiar, yet strange house with a sense of deja vu plaguing his every thought. As he passed through the house room by room he found the layout of the livingroom and kitchen to be familiar and they felt right; and the same could be said when he glanced down the small hallway leading to the house's ground floor bathroom and the study. Everything was right in the house, and everything felt as normal and safe as the old house had been, yet Connor somehow felt somehow out of place.

The bathroom was larger than the one at the old house; complete with a stand-up glass shower and a large white bathtub up against the wall. The walls were pale blue and the floor had white tiles. The small room had a few stray toys and kid friendly hygiene products meant for Cole on the white sink, or on the edge of the tub. There was also a fresh razor blade and can of shaving cream on the sink now that Hank was shaving again. The mirror wasn't littered with cynical sticky notes as personal reminders and mantras for Hank to follow since he was no longer embittered by the tragic loss of his son.

The study across the hall from the bathroom was made into a private office that Hank and Connor used when working on cases at home. Light brown walls and a beige carpet created a neutral calming feeling. There was a large window overlooking the front lawn that allowed natural light to flow through the room, a small red leather sofa up against one wall and a massive bookshelf up against the opposite wall. The bookshelf was filled with Hank's old books and had a new new ones added to the collection. In front of the window was a double sided desk like the ones at the precinct to allow Hank and Connor to have space while they worked, but with much nicer chairs to sit in.

Leaving the study Connor returned to the livingroom and climbed the white wooden staircase leading to the second floor of the house. There was a single hallway leading down to three separate bedrooms and a second bathroom for convenience. Connor's bedroom was at the beginning of the hallway and had been furnished with his own personal taste. Off white walls, very dark green carpeting and a window overlooking the backyard that let warm sunlight inside the room. A large bed, a nightstand, a small desk lamp, his emerald green guitar in its stand in the corner, and a bookshelf filled with various CyberLife manuals and other bits and pieces of souvenirs and framed photographs he collected out of his own unique fascination made the room unique to himself.

Overlooking his collected items Connor's soulful brown eyes locked onto one particular item of interest. "...My L.E.D.?" Connor noticed the small dull disc sitting on the top shelf of the bookcase and picked it up between his right index finger and thumb. Next to the L.E.D. was a framed photograph of Connor with Hank, Cole and Sumo standing together in front of the new house the day they moved in. Hank and Cole were smiling sincerely while Connor only mustered up his somewhat confident grin. "...I remember this. I asked Hank to remove my L.E.D. before we finished unpacking."

As he put the dead L.E.D. back down next to the photograph he glanced at the other items he collected during his first year of life as a member of Hank's family. There was a clear glass bottle with a corked top containing sand from a Floridian beach, a quarter from 2029 (Cole's birth year) a green quartz rock found on the shore of the Detroit River, and a ticket stub from a 'Knights of the Black Death' concert.

"I remember this as well. Hank wanted to take Cole to Florida to get out of the cold weather and we spent a full day at the beach." Each memory popped into Connor's mind very naturally as he eyed his collected treasures. "I found the quarter near the benches when Hank and I took Cole to the park during the first warm day of spring after the Revolution. The crystal was on the riverbank when we walked by the water during this past summer. And Hank and I went to see the 'Knights of the Black Death' two weeks after that."

"You kept warning me that the loud music was going to damage my hearing." Hank commented from the opened bedroom doorway as he watched Connor studying each item carefully. "I can still hear just fine."

"Yes. I've noticed."

Smirking at the smart remark Hank helped Connor to feel more at place in his own bedroom. "I wanted to get you more furniture for your room but you insisted the bed was all you needed. You even hang your damn t-shirts and jeans in the closet like some kind of weirdo instead of using a dresser."

"...It's strange. I remember everything but this feels somehow... surreal."

"Maybe it's from the fever."

"I doubt it."

"Come here." Hank motioned for the deviant to follow him out of his own bedroom and into the bedroom across from it. "Remember that?"

Peering inside the room, Cole's bedroom, Connor noted the dark blue walls, white carpeting, bunk bed up against the wall, with two beanbag chairs on the middle of the floor, a large dresser with a flat screen television a top of it, a video game console with two controllers beside it, a desk up against the window overlooking the front yard, two bookcases on either side of the desk filled with various books and random souvenirs of his own, and dozens of action figures, sports equipment and books all over the floor.

Sumo was sprawled out over both of the beanbag chairs and wagged his tail as soon as he saw Connor, but didn't both to get up since he was so comfortable.

"Yes." The memories were as vivid as ever almost as if Connor had relived those moments that very morning. "Cole wanted the bunk beds for whenever a friend stays the night, but he also asks me or you to stay on the bottom bunk to play games all night. I help him with his science homework and occasionally play video games with him after he finishes."

"It's weird." Hank remarked as he crossed his arms over his chest and sighed at the sight of the bedroom full of life and energy. "I can't imagine my life without Cole, and yet those memories of raising him from the day he was born and continuing to take care of him as a toddler after I lost Barbara seem so distant. And now I can't imagine where my head would be without a smartass deviant partner keeping me from putting too much sugar in my coffee, or having greasy burgers for lunch everyday."

"To be honest, I can't imagine my life without having you around to be my friend, guardian and father figure. I had no one and nowhere to go after everything went down. You saved my life that night."

"Well, it turns out you saved Cole through some freaky science fiction shit I can't even figure out, so I guess we're even now."

"I don't think it's wise to keep score."

"You're probably right. Come on." Putting his right hand to Connor's left shoulder Hank stepped out of the bedroom and escorted the deviant out of the bedroom to head back downstairs. "You can help me get the pool covered up before fall starts dropping leaves into the water."

"...We have a pool?"

"Connor, it was _your idea_ to get the house with the pool."

That detail seemed extremely farfetched in itself beyond everything else that had already happened. "It was?"

"Yup." Walking down the staircase with Connor right behind him Hank reminded the deviant of the choice he made almost a year prior. "You said being able to swim would help Cole rebuild his upper body strength while learning how to use his enhanced prosthetic arm. It worked. The only time he activates the artificial skin is when he's in the pool or the bathtub to keep water out of the joints."

"Really? Why?"

"He says having an android arm is cooler than a normal human arm."

"...Oh."

"Hey, be proud. You helped give Cole back the confidence that I thought would take _years_ to return." Hank smirked as they stepped into the kitchen where he then opened the sliding glass of the backdoor to the large deck leading to the in-ground pool. It was still warm outside but with fall creeping around the corner the idea of keeping leaves out of the pool all day long was not a very appealing prospect. "And you've been a great big brother for him to look up to."

"A brother." The idea made a strange warmth spread over Connor's chest from within his heart. "You trust me with your own son."

"Fuck yeah, I do." As Hank accessed a nearby control panel on the far side of the house to place the electronic cover over the pool he shook his head and sighed deeply. "You're my _other_ son, remember? You're both my kids and I'd give up my life to protect either of you."

"I hope it never comes to that."

"So do I."

Connor glanced about the large backyard beyond the pool to a big patch of green grass surrounded by a white wooden fence. The entire area was a safe secluded property on the other side of the city. It was like moving from the small house to the large house solidified Connor's place as Hank's adopted son, and they were now in a completely new and better place in their lives.

"...When does Cole usually come home from school?"

"Usually twenty minutes after three." Closing the panel on the control box Hank looked over at Connor as the deviant continued to glance about the backyard curiously. "Why?"

"...What do we-" A flash of memories suddenly hit Connor and he remembered everything that he and Cole did whenever they were hanging out together. It was as if every question he wanted to ask had been answered in less than a second. "...I help him with his homework when he needs it, and then we go to the park on nice days to play basketball. Right?"

"You got it."

"We have a shift together tomorrow afternoon. Cole stays with a friend after school until our shift is over and we can pick him up to bring home."

"Yup."

"...And it's my turn to cook tonight."

"Well, you were sick so I'll cook again."

"That won't be necessary." Feeling slightly more comfortable Connor tried to reassure Hank that he didn't have to do anything special on his account. "Doesn't Cole have his science fair project to work on?"

"Connor, chill." Hank was genuinely amused by Connor's returned enthusiasm. "He's still trying to figure out what he wants to work on."

"But if he can get an 'A' on his project-"

"I know." Hank patted Connor's shoulder once as he walked around the now protected pool and walked back up the deck to the backdoor. " _I'm_ the one who made the deal with him. I know what's on the line."

"Right... Of course."

* * *

It took Connor only a few minutes to be reacclimated to his new home and in that time he decided to check out the neighborhood while taking Sumo for a walk. It was a very nice neighborhood in a more spread out suburban location, and in the middle of the neighborhood was a park where all the kids would gather to play basketball in the large court all summer long. It was peaceful and quiet save for the birds singing in the trees, or a few people mowing their lawns in anticipation of the upcoming fall.

"We've been here for eight months, two weeks, two days and it's been a very calm time. Cole is happy at school and Hank is happy to have Cole in his life." A strange sense of foreboding dread made Connor's stomach knot a little as he and Sumo circled the block to head for home. "So much has changed, seemingly for the better, but there must be some other effects to this change of events."

Connor received a cybernetic text from Hank asking him to return home and to help with changing the car's oil, to which Connor happily obliged. Working on the car was seemingly something that the two genuinely enjoyed and it passed through into the new timeline as well.

"...I'll have to look into the events beyond the day of the car accident leading to the night of the Revolution." Connor told himself as he walked back to the house and opened the front door casually. Unclipping Sumo from the leash Connor located the laundry room connected to the kitchen, and through the laundry room he entered the garage where Hank was waiting for him. "There will undoubtedly be drastic changes to this timeline."

* * *

The work on the car within the confines of the well organized and large garage seemed as routine as anything else in Connor's life. It felt like he had helped Hank in that very garage numerous times before in the past, and yet in Connor's mind and new sense of reality Connor new that the moment was truly the very first time. Time changes and memory corruption be damned, it was the first time Connor had helped Hank in that particular garage and yet the young deviant felt like it was a brand new experience.

"That'll do it." Hank proclaimed as he wiped oily grease from hands onto an old red rag. Slamming down the hood of the car he took a step back and nodded at Connor who proceeded to lower the car down from the lifted jack to rest on all four tired again. "Much easier to do this with two people."

"...Yes."

"You okay?" Tossing the rag casually onto the tool bench against the far wall of the garage Hank stood before Connor and put his clean right hand back to the deviant's forehead curiously. "You're not getting sick again, are ya'?"

"No, I'm not overheating." Connor gently put his right hand around Hank's wrist and pushed his palm back. "I'm just thinking."

"Don't do that. It's a bad habit."

"I'm sorry. I'm merely checking through the various other memories that have cycled through my mind between this timeline and the alternate from where I seemingly came from." Shaking his head a little he gave Hank a stern glance. "I can't help but feel that there is something very drastic that has been changed between the two timelines, and that change is very bleak for deviants."

"You almost dying in my arms at the Stratford Tower isn't bleak enough?"

"I can't explain it. So much has happened before, during and after the Revolution; it's difficult to get every piece of differentiating information to line up accordingly. And the things that have been changed won't necessarily have a direct connection the events surrounding me, you or Cole. It's disconcerting."

"Hey, don't worry about that." Putting his hand to Connor's shoulder instead Hank led the deviant out of the garage and opened the side door to get back into the laundry room. "You can't carry the weight of the world on your shoulders, son."

Connor gave Hank a faintly amused grin. "...I guess that's another bad habit I have regardless of what timeline I live in."

"Cole will be home in a couple of hours. Think you can act natural around him?"

"Well, he knows that I was overheating this morning, so maybe if I unintentionally act unusual around him he'll believe it's a result of my prior illness."

"If you need some more time to get adjusted to this new timeline I can tell him you're still sick and ask him to give you some space."

"No, that isn't necessary. Everything feels right, and I know that you and I have a shift tomorrow afternoon that requires our utmost attention. I don't want to pretend to be ill, or push anyone away."

"Good. Because Cole adores you, and those others deviants still need our help."

"Before Cole does come home from school I would like to go and speak with Markus for a moment. I want to refamiliarize myself with New Jericho and see whether or not Markus is aware of the two parallel timelines as well."

"Sure. Want to take the car?"

"No, I'll hail an autonomous taxi."

"Alright. Do what you gotta' do, and we'll be here when you come back."

"Of course. I will return in a few hours, I promise."

* * *

It took a little longer to get out to Belle Isle from where the new house was located in the city, but Connor didn't mind paying the additional fare. New Jericho Tower looked exactly as Connor remembered from the original timeline and it seemed to be as busy as ever inside. Various deviants, either those seeking shelter or those volunteering their services, hustled about the main lobby on the ground floor and paid no mind to Connor when he stepped inside the tower. It was just business as usual.

"Connor." Josh greeted the deviant detective casually as he stepped out of the elevator. He had a cheery smile on his face and seemed to be completely at ease with the world. "It's been a while."

"Hello, Josh."

"If you're looking for Markus he's up in the arboretum taking care of the garden. North is helping Simon in the emergency repair bay, and I'm off to tend to our next group's therapy session."

"Right, thank you."

Stepping inside the elevator himself Connor's right hand hovered over the panel for only two seconds before he instinctively knew that the floor he was looking for was the very top floor. Instead of it being left vacated or being remodeled into a type of lounge to be used only rarely Markus had chosen to convert it into a rooftop garden to be visited daily. The garden provided a natural environment for deviants to reside within and it allowed New Jericho to donate fresh fruits and vegetables to various shelters throughout the city.

Holding his breath Connor stepped through the parted elevator doors after reaching his destination and let the smell of fresh earth wash over him.

"...The 'Zen Garden'." It was eerie yet calming to be there. There was no sign of Amanda or CyberLife at all, but the design of the garden itself was uncanny. Dozens of rows of sprouting vegetables and flowers lined the perimeter of the garden and the activity in the garden made the sanctuary less isolating. Everything smelled of fresh earth and clean water. "I'm glad some good came of the garden's designs in this timeline."

Spotting Markus in the distance as he stood before a row of bright multicolored snapdragons with a small canvas perched atop of an easel and pallet of paint in his left hand, and a brush in the right hand, Connor approached his friend calmly from behind. "Markus."

"Hey, Connor." Markus turned to look at his friend over his left shoulder and gave him a nod. "What brings you by?"

"I needed to refresh my memory."

"Your memory?"

"...Markus, do you remember speaking to me about sending a message... back through... time?"

"You're back." Markus let out a sigh of relief as he set aside his paint and stood before his friend happily. His mismatched eyes lit up brightly at the curious question. "Finally, the timelines have lined up. I thought I was going crazy, but I know what happened really happened!"

"It worked, Markus. It... _You_ , saved Cole."

"Cole... Lieutenant Anderson's _son_?"

"Correct."

"I... I never understood why you wanted me to warn the hospital about that doctor," Markus admitted with a slight shake of the head. "but now... Now it all makes sense. You helped to save an innocent child from death, and then helped to save all of your own people from the same fate. Not bad for a prototype rookie detective."

Connor smirked a little and glanced about the garden. "It seems the major key events between the two timelines remained intact, namely our alliance and the success of the Revolution. That's good."

"Everything worked out as it should have. We were always meant to be free, Connor. This is proof."

"When did you become aware of the alternate timeline?"

"Honestly, this morning. I woke up after overheating all night and realized something had changed, but I wasn't sure what. North said I had stumbled into our private quarters late last night and passed out. She took care of me and made sure I didn't suffer any permanent damage until I cooled down. Then slowly the memories started coming forward, and now coexist alongside the original memories from the older timeline. No one else seems to have noticed, though."

"It makes sense. We were the ones who sent the messages, no one else had a hand in sending said message directly. Simon merely monitored your vital signs during the message exchange."

"I'm just glad we succeeded, and it was for a good cause."

"As am I." Connor held out the palm of his right hand and showed Markus the photograph of the family standing together outside in front of the new house and smiled at his friend graciously. "As are they. Everything is okay."

"Thank RA9." Proud to know that he and Connor had worked together to accomplish a great task long before the night of the Revolution Markus felt a strange sense of peace fill his mind. "This is a great thing we've done. Please," motioning toward the center of the garden with his extended left arm Markus invited Connor to walk with him through the garden. "tell me everything you remember from the old timeline, and I'll tell you what I remember, too."

* * *

Returning home in time to inform Hank of his shared memories with Markus and of the two alternate timelines, Connor told Hank everything that happened in the other timeline before things changed. Not long after the information had been exchanged the duo were greeted by Cole as the young boy rushed through the front door of the house and dropped his backpack on the floor beside the couch excitedly as he saw Connor awake and speaking to his dad in the kitchen. The deviant was okay now.

Cole promptly greeted his dad and big brother like the happy young child he was, and do so with a bright smile on his face. "Hey, Connor. Are you still sick?"

"No, Cole. I'm well again."

"Can you help me with my homework? I have a chemistry test on Friday."

"Yes, I'll help you."

Hank pointed to the backpack abandoned by the couch and gave Cole a somewhat scolding glance. "Until then, put that homework up in your bedroom so no one steps on it."

"Okay."

As Cole retrieved his backpack and ran up the stairs Hank gave the deviant a curious glance. "You good?"

"Yes, I'm good. That felt... normal."

"It should. You always help him with his science homework."

"Does he struggle with the subject?"

"Nope. He just likes hanging out with you, and uses it as an excuse."

"Excuse? Why would he need an excuse?"

"Because once he starts hanging out with you that's all he does until bedtime. It's a little hard to get him to do his homework, eat his dinner and get in a bath when his big brother is also his best friend."

The revelation made Connor smirk a little. It was nice to feel wanted and to feel like he belonged somewhere. But the best feeling was the feeling of family and trust that had formed in the household since the night of the Revolution.

* * *

That night after helping Cole with his homework Connor joined him and Hank at the dinner table, while Sumo laid beneath the table to pick up a few choice scraps discreetly dropped by Cole onto the floor. The trio simply enjoyed one another's company and talked about what was going on at the precinct, and at Cole's school all evening long. It was Tuesday, a school night, which meant Cole had to go to bed at nine o'clock and he couldn't play any games with Connor since it was already so late. After saying goodnight to both Hank and Connor the very kind little boy went upstairs with Sumo and went to bed.

"It's strange." Connor observed as he washed the dishes in the sink and watched Hank answering messages on his phone. "It feels as though I've done this every day of my life since the Revolution, and yet I'm only now conscious and actively aware of this behavior on this day. At least, I am with my memories of the alternate timeline intact."

"You seem comfortable with this life, are you surprised by it?"

"I'm more or less surprised that our friendship was forged in two wildly different environments. I was so convinced at once point we were friends simply through chance or convenience, and it's very ground to know that our friendship was founded based on our personalities and not our responsibilities."

"Guess that means it wasn't a fluke after all."

"...Fluke." Connor felt a little relieved at Hank's very laidback demeanor and reaction to the entire situation. But soon his thoughts drifted off to the precinct and of their currently active missing deviant cases. "I'm glad our encounter wasn't happenstance. I doubt the missing deviants disappearing throughout the city are random chance, as well."

"Yeah. I think you're right, by the way. I think it's one person picking and choosing select models of androids for some weird reason."

"But there hasn't been a single common element between the missing deviants to try to isolate a possible suspect or location." Drying off his hands after he turned off the sink Connor turned to face Hank and gave him a despondent look. "We're at a dead end with no leads in sight."

"We'll figure it out, son. We always do."

* * *

As night fell over the house Connor went to his bedroom, changed into his night clothes; black t-shirt and gray sweatpants, and laid on his bed as he stared at the ceiling and continued to cybernetically sift through the now parallel memories and events that took place during the two timelines. Everything lined up just as Hank had told him, and the moment they reunited in front of the 'Chicken Feed' after the Revolution Connor vividly remembered getting hugged by Hank and being shown to the car parked just down the street where Cole and Sumo were sitting in the backseat waiting for him.

"...Hank didn't want to leave the city and leave me behind. He came looking for me and took me in as his own. Now we're a family."

Tucking his left arm beneath his head atop his pillow he closed his eyes and listened to the quiet of the house all around him.

There was a gentle breeze blowing past his partially opened bedroom window that carried a faint smell of chlorine from the pool outside as it rustled the reddening leaves on the large elm tree at the corner of the property. There was an audible snore from Sumo coming out of Cole's room through the opened bedroom doorway and Connor could sense the locations on Hank and Cole, his father and little brother, throughout the house very easily.

"I'm glad I have a home and a family to look after. Now I need to protect them both and show them that I'm worthy of this new life."

* * *

Walking into the precinct the following morning felt a tad odd as a mixture of familiarity and the unknown settled in Connor's heart. As he and Hank walked over to the adjoined desks in the center of the bullpen Connor noticed that the formerly dead bonsai tree that had been on Hank's desk before they met, which had then been thrown away after Connor was permanently assigned as his partner, was still alive and green in this timeline. Hank hadn't neglected the plant, and his side of the desk had a photograph of Cole sitting in the corner. The photo was taken on Cole's tenth birthday just a month prior.

"You still okay, kid?" Hank noticed that Connor was taking his time in getting to his desk and seemed to be scanning the bullpen as if seeing it for the first time.

"Yes. I'm just taking a moment to appreciate the positive changes."

"How was your relationship with Reed in your other... you know... life?"

"It was... passive. We neither associated with one another or actively berated one another."

"Sounds the same there as it is here."

"That will make things much simpler." Connor took his seat across from Hank and glanced about the bullpen again. He noticed Gavin already sitting at his desk a few feet away with his phone in his hand actively texting someone, Tina was absent from her desk across from his, and Chris was out on patrol. "...Is Tina ill?" Connor asked in a low voice as he noticed that her desk hadn't been touched in weeks, possibly months. Dust had been collecting on her personal items, including the chair tucked neatly beneath it. "She has been gone for some time."

"Seriously? In your timeline she didn't... uh... Never mind. Join me in the breakroom." Keeping a low profile as Connor followed after him Hank told the deviant where Officer Chen had been for the past four months. "Tina is currently out on maternity leave."

"Oh!" That wasn't something Connor had considered and now felt slightly embarrassed. "...Is it appropriate to ask about the circumstances surrounding her condition?"

"Uh, about seven months ago she and her boyfriend at the time were in a pretty bad traffic accident. Tina walked away with a couple bruises, but her boyfriend didn't make it." Pouring himself a cup of coffee Hank kept his voice low and calm. "He suffered severe brain damage and didn't make it during the surgery to reduce the pressure to his brain. And two weeks after the accident she started feeling sick. Gavin had taken her back to her apartment to rest, and he's the one who suggested they should go back to the hospital just in case. She refused until he suggested that she might be 'expecting', and He was right."

"...Now Tina will be raising her child alone?"

"Nope. Gavin may be an asshole, but he took Tina in as a surrogate little sister YEARS ago. He won't let her do that alone."

"It seems in both timelines they are very close friends."

"Yup." Sipping at his coffee Hank grimaced at the bitter taste then added more sugar. "She's seven and half months along and Gavin's been working solo for six weeks. No one wants to work with him, and he doesn't want a new partner. He's willing to work alone until she comes back."

Connor nodded with respect at Gavin's dedication to his closest friend. "Is there anything we can do to help her?"

"We already did. The entire precinct pooled a good portion of donated money to help buy some diapers, bottles, clothes and a brand new crib to help her out. Gavin's been working extra hours since she went on leave six weeks ago, and has been stopping by her apartment to help her out every night."

"I'm glad you told me. I wouldn't want to accidentally say anything inappropriate."

"Don't sweat it." With his coffee in hand Hank motioned for the deviant to accompany him back to their desks. "Come on, let's get checking through those files and see if we can finally find a lead on those missing deviants."

"Of course."

As the duo set to work on locating the missing deviants throughout the city, the first case noted as early as September 17th, 2037; over a year before the Revolution, and the most recent case came in that very morning, the duo had a real challenge to overcome. There was no pattern to follow or common element among the missing deviants, and yet they all seemed to disappear without a trace.

"The latest victim is an 'AX-700' model going under the name 'Charles', who failed to report to his shift at a facility outside the city." Connor noted as he read and memorized the report. "No sign of a struggle at his apartment and there was no sign of a struggle at the facility in which he is employed." The deviant observed all the details as he danced his coin over the knuckles of his right hand. "...However," his brow suddenly furrowed with a rush of curiosity. "all of the missing deviants had hailed autonomous taxis for their main form of transportation. _That_ is a link that connects them all."

Hank crossed his arms over his chest, leaned back in his chair and gave Connor an odd glance. "It's pretty rare for androids to have vehicles at their disposal, even rarer for an android to actually own a vehicle." Contemplating Connor's hunch Hank agreed that the mysterious link might actually be something very common and not as mysterious as they had thought. "You think someone is messing with the taxis to harm deviants?"

"It's possible." Connor nodded with a firm confidence. "I think the autonomous taxis are being hacked and taking the deviants to an unknown location. Once they are taken away the hacker ambushes them, wipes the G.P.S. record of the taxi's journey and perfectly masks their tracks."

"How do we remove the mask?"

"Satellite images." The answer was quick and simple. "It'll take some time but if we can use the images to trace the route of every taxi from September 17th, 2037 until today, we should be able to find a single common address."

"That's going to take HOURS to handle."

"It'll take thirty-three hours, nineteen minutes and forty-seven seconds. I can do it."

"...I don't want to see you exhaust yourself."

"I can do this, and I want to do this. Please, allow me to work."

"Okay, son." Relenting to the request Hank decided to let Connor go ahead and begin the search through the collected satellite images. "I trust you."

Isolating himself from the outside world by honing in entirely on the terminal screen before him Connor closed his soulful brown eyes, pressed his exposed left palm to the screen of the terminal and accessed every possible file. He boosted the modem and his own power flow to its peak in order to get the images downloaded as quickly as possible. Utilizing his skills and connections to their fullest extent Connor was able to access the satellite imaging photos that were now two years old, and began from the first date and steadily worked his way forward.

"...Shit." Hank wasn't surprised in the least by Connor's diligence. "I'll get tell Fowler you're working overtime and to not disturb you."

Connor remained silent as the information flowed into his memorybank at a rapid clip.

"Right." Rising from his chair Hank made his way over to Captain Fowler's office and shook his head a little. "Can never accuse that kid of being lazy. That's for damn sure."

* * *

Hours passed by with little to no activity revolving around any other deviants being reported missing to the precinct. Connor had remained where he sat at his desk with his hand on the terminal screen and his intracranial processor working at top speed. The deviant didn't need his L.E.D. in his right temple for Hank to know that if it were there it'd be cycling in red very quickly.

Finishing off his coffee and noting the late hour Hank logged out of his terminal and patted Connor's shoulder to get his attention without disrupting him. "I'm going home to take care of Cole. If you need a ride home call me."

Connor only nodded a little to acknowledge Hank's comment without ever opening his eyes.

"I'll see you in the morning, at the latest. Goodnight, son."

"...Goodnight." Remaining steadfast in his seat Connor continued his work and was determined to get through the images as quickly and efficiently as possible.

Hundreds of thousands of images of the taxis throughout of the city came into view in his mind and he tracked each one and very slowly a pattern began to emerge. Images of the missing deviants aligned with the dates in which they were reported missing and a single location began to link all of them together. There was still nothing definitive since the satellite images, though impressive and damning, couldn't fully identify the seemingly single culprit behind each and every one of the (now suspected) abductions.

Another light pat on the right shoulder caught Connor's attention without distracting him as Hank returned the following morning. "Hey, kid."

"...Hello."

"You're starting to overheat again." Hank had noticed the heat radiating from Connor's person when he patted his shoulder. "Have you been working all night?"

"...Yes."

"I hope you made some progress then for working all that overtime." Putting a mug of chilled Thirium down on the desk next to Connor's right arm as he put his own mug of warm coffee down on his side of the desk Hank studied the deviant's face closely. "Take a break."

"...I'm nearly-"

"Now, Connor." Hank of course used the 'dad voice' to get Connor's attention. "I don't want you to collapse."

Slowly Connor's eyes opened revealing his soulful brown irises, and his left hand dropped from the terminal screen. The artificial skin struggled to regenerate over his palm as his power levels and Thirium volume had dropped considerably from Connor working at full power for almost fifteen consecutive hours.

Noticing the mug of Thirium beside his right arm Connor nodded and picked up the mug with a shaking right hand. "...Thank you, Hank."

"Talk to me, kid. What did you find last night?"

"...I was able to trace the final moments of the missing deviants to autonomous taxis." Drinking the much needed Thirium with a relieved sigh Connor could feel his core temperature lowering and his Thirium volume steadily rising. "I have also pinpointed a single location that each taxi had visited, but without official cab records or probable cause beyond the deviants being seen in the location via satellite images we can't get a search warrant just yet."

"But you know where they went?"

"Possibly. I have only located twenty-seven of the reported fifty-three missing deviants at this particular place of interest."

"That's half of the damn deviants in one spot. That's good enough for me."

"It's still not good enough for the law." Putting down the now empty mug Connor's posture slumped a little, a true sign that he was tired, and gave Hank a somber glance. "They still see androids as property, not people. And they'd rather focus on issuing parking citations rather than focus on a serial deviant abductor, possibly a serial deviant killer."

"Do what you can to put together a reasonable case so we can get a warrant."

"I will."

"What else did you find out?"

"All of the missing deviants are of rare and advanced models. Common place or outdated android models have never been taken."

"So we have a freak with 'a type' stalking deviants. Anything else?"

"The taxis all go to an old house on the other side of town, but they have their travel records erased before departing. The taxis stop outside the house and a single figure approaches the taxi and seemingly escorts the occupant to the house."

"Sounds weird enough to be the work of a maniac."

"Yes. And without any direct video or audio link to identify the circumstances behind these 'meetings' there is no way to prove that the deviants were taken to the house, and subsequently taken _inside_ the house against their wills."

"Fuck. So you know where to go and what to look for, but bureaucratic 'red tape' and a lack of witnesses are holding us back."

"Correct."

"Do me a favor."

"What's that?"

"Go to the bunkroom and lay down for a while. You've been working all night and I don't want you passing out on me."

"Hank, I can function just fine."

"Uh-huh. Then why are your shoulders slouched and your eyes glazed over?"

"...I admit that I am tired, but I'm not in danger of collapsing."

"Connor, humor me. Go lay down for a while. I'll see if I can pull some strings and get a search warrant."

"...Very well." Sighing with relentless fatigue Connor slowly rose from his desk and began walking toward the corridor leading to the bunkroom. His legs were shaking a little but he wasn't in any danger of tripping. "I will return in one hour."

Once Connor was down into the bunkroom and resting on one of the free bunks Hank took it upon himself to speak with Captain Fowler, and inform him of everything that Connor had uncovered and of the promising lead he had been following. It seemed like it'd be a simple explanation that would give the two detectives assigned to all deviant cases the warrant they needed, but things were far more complicated than that.

"Sorry, Hank." Captain Fowler replied with a shrug of his shoulders. "We need more proof than that."

"What the fuck, Jeffrey? We HAVE proof." Hank defended his and Connor's investigation with a firm voice. "All the missing deviants are going to this ONE spot and NEVER returning! What more do you want? The abductor to stroll into the precinct and confess?"

"Easy, Hank. I don't like it either, but-"

"Bullshit. You've never taken any initiative on any cases with deviants and keep them at the bottom of the pile."

"Hey, I have to make decisions based on priorities!"

"How in the fuck does a PARKING VIOLATION ever trump an ABDUCTION?"

"Hank, it's not-"

"Son of a bitch." Rubbing his right hand over his bearded chin Hank rose from the chair and turned his back on his superior officer. "Let me guess, the higher ups are still too fuckin' timid to acknowledge deviants as people and NOT property, because they were anti-android bigots holding a grudge. Right?"

"Hank, stop."

"So I _am_ right. What's the point in having a division dedicated to deviant cases if you're not going to give us the clear to solve them?"

"Look, bring me more concrete proof that deviants are being taken to that address against their will," Captain Fowler looked like he had been backed into a corner and was trying to fight his way out. "and you and Connor can tear apart that house brick by brick if you want. Alright?"

"...Yeah, whatever. And tell H.R. if they keep discriminating against deviants and deviant cases that I'M going to the be the one they have to answer to. And unlike Connor, I'm not quite so reasonable."

Returning to his desk in the middle of the bullpen Hank sat down angrily and snatched up his phone as it began to ring and buzz on his desk. "Now what?" Answering the phone Hank was greeted by the voice of Cole's school nurse on the other line, and his tone immediately softened. "Oh, no. How bad is it?" A few more words were exchanged and Hank thanked the nurse before ending the call. "Reed." Getting up from his desk again Hank pocketed his phone and slung his dark coat around his shoulders. "Cole's sick. I'm out for the rest of the afternoon."

"Yeah, sure." Gavin was working on his own report and just barely glanced up at Hank as the Lieutenant passed him by. "If Fowler asks I'll tell him."

* * *

Waking up courtesy of his internal alarm Connor found his power levels to be slightly higher but he still needed additional Thirium to restore his volume back to one-hundred percent. A text message from Hank cybernetically appeared in his mind regarding Cole getting sick with a cold at school, and Connor felt a strange need to go home as well to take care of the sick little boy. Yet he knew he needed to keep working on the case as the missing deviants needed his help.

Returning to his desk from the bunkroom Connor stumbled a little and almost tripped over his own feet in the process.

Through the transparent wall of his office Captain Fowler saw the uncharacteristic behavior and addressed the deviant accordingly after leaving the office to speak to him directly. "Connor, what was that about?"

"Pardon?"

"You're dead on your feet." The senior officer noted as Connor reclaimed his seat. "What's wrong?"

"My apologies, I was working all night and I need to finish my search into the missing deviants."

"No, you need to rest. Go home."

"I'm the only one left who will work on this case." Connor defended somewhat bitterly as he looked his commanding officer in the eye. "I can't leave."

"Look, Hank went home to take care of Cole so why don't you go home and keep working from there?"

"...Do you not want me to solve this case?"

"Hey, don't do that." Captain Fowler was beginning to get defensive regarding deviant cases, and it was starting to show. "I want every case that comes through this precinct to be solved and solved RIGHT. If you're exhausted you need to rest and come back fresh tomorrow so there aren't any mistakes. Go on, get out of here until tomorrow."

Connor wanted to stay and work but he didn't have it in him to defy his commanding officer. At least not yet. Agreeing to go home and rest Connor logged out of his terminal and accepted the order. "Very well. I'll return tomorrow morning."

Taking his leave of the precinct Connor felt his system running on low power mode and he began to trip a little more as he walked. Without Hank there to give him a ride home Connor had no choice but to walk or hail a cab. Too tired to make the walk or to cybernetically hail a cab Connor pressed his palm down on a taxi terminal loading station, and hailed one from there as he fought to keep himself standing upright.

"...I must remember to keep emergency power supply discs in my desk from now on."

An autonomous taxi rolled up to where Connor was standing on the sidewalk, and he climbed into the back of the vehicle once the doors slid open automatically. Uploading his address to the taxi's G.P.S. Connor closed his tired eyes and leaned back against the seat as he waited for the taxi to take him back home.

* * *

Having picked up Cole from school Hank had arrived home with his sick son almost twenty minutes prior, and was now trying to get the sick little boy to cooperate and take some medicine to help reduce his fever. Feeling too nauseated and miserable to stomach anything it was a bit of a challenge but Hank was finally able to get Cole to take the two ibuprofen tablets, and drink some water. After putting a cool washcloth over Cole's feverish forehead Hank went about the usual parent routine of making Cole some soup to eat, and kept some bottles of flavored water and juice in the house to ensure he stayed hydrated.

"Drink this and you'll feel better, son." Hank promised as he put a glass of apple juice down on the highest shelf next to the top bunk of the bed. "How's your head?"

"I'm okay." Cole replied in a quiet voice as his dad checked in on him. "Did I get sick because Connor was sick?"

"No, humans can't get sick from androids, and androids can't get sick from humans. You just caught a cold because it's cold season."

"Where is Connor?"

"Still working. He'll be home as soon as he can."

"I'm going to need a lot of help catching up my homework now."

"Don't worry about your homework, Cole. Sleep for a while and if you're feeling better we can get a headstart on it so you don't fall behind. Okay?"

"Okay."

"I'll be downstairs if you need anything."

Cole curled up on his right side and closed his eyes as tried to get some sleep while Sumo laid on the beanbag chairs a few feet from the bunk bed, as the loyal dog kept the sick little boy company.

Hank rubbed his hand through Cole's hair for a moment before stepping out of the bedroom and walking down the staircase to get back to the ground floor of the house. A reply text from Connor buzzed on Hank's phone as the fatigued deviant let him know that he too was on his way home and would resume working from there once he had more time to rest. It wouldn't be the first time Connor's worked from home, and Hank knew it wouldn't be the last.

"I don't know what's worse: dealing with a sick ten year old, or a workaholic deviant."

* * *

The taxi came to a gentle stop but didn't open the door for its lone passenger. Connor was only vaguely aware that the cab had stopped and opened his eyes in time to see that he was sitting in front of a dilapidated old mansion surrounded by an overgrown lawn, and a black iron gate. As he peered through the window the opposite door of the taxi opened from the outside and a strong arm brandishing a taser reached inside the cab. Two electrically charged metal prongs were pressed into the center of Connor's chest causing his Thirium pump to race and spasm uncontrollably in his chest.

Falling forward in an unconscious heap as his processors were overwhelmed by the electrical surge Connor was left completely vulnerable and defenseless to whomever it was that had needlessly assaulted him.

The taser was put in the figure's pocket as the figure hooked their strong hands under Connor's arms and pulled him out of the back of the taxi, and onto the street. Hefting Connor up and over his shoulder the figure carried the deviant toward the iron gates and turned around just long enough to face the taxi, hold up their phone and press a single button that wiped the cab's memory before sending it off back toward the city.

Remaining entirely unconscious, and even if he were awake he'd be too weak to put up much of a fight, Connor was carried through the gates and into the dark mansion for reasons unknown.

The massive front door slammed shut with a dull echo, and was locked from the inside.

No one saw the abduction, and no record of the taxi ever arriving at the address would ever be found.

Stranded on the other side of the city Connor was now entirely helpless and alone.

* * *

After checking in on Cole for the umpteenth time that night Hank began pacing the livingroom with his phone in his hand as he sent text after text to Connor, hoping to have the deviant respond soon. There was something unsettling weighing down on Hank's heart and he knew that Connor was in trouble. Calling the precinct to ask Captain Fowler about Connor's current status and being informed he left the precinct almost seven hours ago, Hank then asked for patrol to keep an eye out for the missing deviant.

"Come on, son." Peering through the front windows toward the dark quiet street before the house Hank looked for any sign of Connor's return. It was late and it was very unlike Connor to not return home at night. "Where are you?"

Using his phone to send a message to Markus at New Jericho Tower letting him know that Connor was missing Hank walked into the study, and logged onto his terminal at the precinct through his laptop. Picking up where Connor had left off Hank isolated the same point of interest on the satellite images that the deviant had uncovered and picked up his trail.

"Okay, son." The gathered images had all pointed to a single location of interest and that alone gave Hank a location to do a little digging himself in search of the answers that Connor had been seeking. "Let's see where these deviants vanished, and go from there..."

* * *

A second powerful electrical shock directly to Connor's now exposed chest roused the deviant back into consciousness against his will. Letting out a pained yell Connor's back physically arched due to the surge of electricity, and slammed back down against the surface of the metal table where he was secured by his ankles and wrists. Opening his pained eyes Connor looked around and found himself in the middle of a dark room with a single portly man looking down at him. The man had two paddles of a crudely constructed defibrillator in his hands, and a wicked sneer on his face.

"Finally. I've been waiting for you to wake up." Putting aside the paddles the unknown man checked the metallic cuffs around Connor's wrists, which were secured to the top corners of the table above Connor's head; then did the same for the cuffs around Connor's ankles at the bottom two corners of the table. "I never thought I'd have the chance to work on any 'RK-800' models. This is a rare treat for me."

Blinking a few times Connor glanced about and tried to figure out what had happened between the taxi stopping at the unexpected address and his consciousness returning just seconds prior.

After being taken into the mansion Connor had his gray suit jacket, black tie and white dress shirt removed to expose his upper body. There were now four distinct electrical burn marks in the center his chest courtesy of the taser's two prongs and the two defibrillator paddles needlessly shocking him in and out of consciousness. Attached to his chest above the burn marks were two wireless leads connected to the nearby Thirial activity monitor; the android equivalent to cardiac monitor, currently displaying Connor's rapid and slightly arrhythmic heartbeat, low Thirium pressure, low Thirium volume and high core temperature.

Though running on low power Connor ran a scan over the man's face and promptly identified him from his previous criminal record. "...You're Zlatko Andronikov." The deviant detective boldly proclaimed as he cybernetically sent a message to the precinct to call for help. "You experiment on deviants, turning them into monstrous abominations."

"You know who I am, I'm impressed."

"I'm not." Connor snarled back as he tapped into the data on Zlatko from the information gathered from the previous timeline. It seemed that in this timeline when Kara fled the mansion with Alice and Luther not only did Kara not burn down the mansion during her escape; but Zlatko also survived being shot in the abdomen by Luther, and the monstrous tortured deviants fled to the nearby forests without lashing out at Zlatko before they disappeared. "You abduct, torture, experiment and kill deviants for your own demented pleasure. It sickens me."

"You're plastic, you can't get sick."

"Fuck off!"

"Wow, this piece of plastic has a pretty loud mouth. I like that. Reminds me of a pretty young deviant and her pretty little-"

"SHUT YOUR MOUTH."

"Sounds like I touched a nerve, but since you're not alive I know for a fact you don't have any nerves." Zlatko's Thirium stained fingertips wrapped around a small glass that had two partially melted cubes of ice and whiskey swirling about in the container. "Then again, you're so unlike any other android that CyberLife ever created. I'm very eager to see what makes you so damn special."

Connor noted the Thirium on Zlatko's fingertips, the wide array of cybernetic tools on the table and lining the walls behind Zlatko and could see easily two dozen different biocomponents that belonged to two dozen different deviants strewn about the shelves like a display of macabre trophies. "You'll rot in prison for this."

"Oh, I doubt that. For one, these walls are designed to dampen cybernetic communication, so don't even try. Not to mention that if no one stopped me when my androids betrayed me and shot me, why would anyone try to stop me now?"

"The Revolution."

"You mean the _farce_." gulping down his drink Zlatko seemingly steeled himself for a truly delicate task at hand. "Trust me, you deviants are so damn gullible and naive. You'll all end up with a knife in your back someday." Zlatko proceeded to wheel over a metal tray table holding various technician tools and a few other tools that were far less delicate to use in his little hobby. "Too bad for you my neighbors hate deviants as much as I do. She not only called an ambulance after I was shot, but she helped me round up my little subjects and put them back in their pens downstairs." Using a scalpel Zlatko dragged it across Connor's right cheek creating a deep laceration that oozed dark blue Thirium that dripped down Connor's face. "We can't have monsters running around, now can we?"

"The deviants you tortured aren't the monsters," Connor defied in an enraged tone of voice as he continued to snap back at the cruel human. "YOU ARE."

"Now, now. Don't criticize an artist's work until you've seen their masterpiece."

"You're not an artist, you're a butcher. A demented failed scientist who can't accept that he's failed."

"And you're a fighter." Zlatko put aside the scalpel and picked up a long piercing tool that was very similar to that of an ice pick. Holding it in his right hand he used his left hand to hold Connor's head back against the table as he held the pick directly over Connor's right eye. "I like that, too..."

* * *

There had been no sighting of Connor anywhere in the city and no deviant could reach him through cybernetic contact. There was a fuzzy garbled message struggling to be sent to the precinct from Connor's personal communication line but it was too disrupted to be understood at the moment. Unable to sleep Hank peered inside Cole's bedroom and watched as his son slept through his mild fever without any problems, then peered inside Connor's empty bedroom and hoped the missing deviant would return home soon.

"Fucking hell." Checking his phone again Hank was unsurprisingly greeted by a blank screen. Nothing. "I'm not losing either of my sons."

Quietly walking back downstairs Hank returned to the study and resumed his search from home. Checking through the data files on the laptop once more Hank decided to get an address on the house in question and sent a report through to the precinct seeking a search warrant with what little information he and Connor had managed to scrape up in hopes it'd be enough to grant such a warrant.

"Fuck their bureaucratic approval." Hank grumbled as he pressed 'send' on his e-mail and impatiently waited for a reply. "With or without a warrant I'll storm through that house and find Connor myself if I have to."

* * *

Covered in his own blood, weak and in pain Connor shivered and tried to curl around himself after he was thrown onto the cold stone floor of the cell in the mansion's basement. The stone floor was covered with stray bits of straw and provided little comfort for Connor's broken bleeding body. A small puddle of Thirium collected under his battered form as he shivered and tried, only to fail, to run a self-diagnostic on his damaged systems. Even more alarming was his inability to send out a distress call or even send a text to Hank's phone to let him know where he had been taken, and who had taken him.

Patches of artificial skin were missing from the right side of Connor's face ,leaving the white plastimetal frame partially up his scalp, around his eye, down the side of his nose, the entirety of his jawline and the right side of his neck exposed. Both of his eyes had been heavily damaged, the right more than the left. What was once white sclera was now pitch black and his brown irises were a fiery amber color that flickered to a pale blue as blindness set. Cracks in the surface of his eyes glowed a neon blue as Thirium collected behind the wounds giving the deviant a sapphire glow in his irises. Connor's artificial skin over his right arm from the shoulder down, over the right side of his chest halfway down his abdomen, over to his left shoulder and the center of his back were all exposed.

The artificial skin had been torn away from the plastimetal frames as if Connor had been skinned alive.

"H-Hank..." Connor whispered as he tried to get up and move but his injuries were very limiting. Laying on his left side in a growing puddle of his own blood Connor shivered and winced in searing pain. "...Hank. Help me."

Zlatko had tampered with Connor's Thirium pump, his heart, causing it to beat irregularly and with a mild arrhythmia for a prolonged period of time. Both of his ventilation biocomponents had been weakened by strain making it impossible for him to take a deep breath without coughing in horrible pain. His main Thirium filter had been damage and was steadily leaking causing the deviant to bleed internally into his own chest and abdominal cavities.

"...P-Please, Hank." He whispered again as he tried and failed to push himself up onto his hands and knees. His entire body was trembling violently from pain, weakness and cold. "I need... I need help."

Connor's right shin had also been broken, leaving exposed and leaking Thirium lines and electronic wires to spark and bleed all over his leg through opened fractures in the plastimetal frame. The entirety of Connor's right pant leg was soaked in Thirium and had scorch marks along the fabric from the sparks burning into the material. With his leg broken and unable to support his weight the wounded deviant would be unable to stand, let alone run.

"...Hank? Hank, I need... I need your help."

A hoarse electronic voice responded to Connor's pleas in a somber tone from the corner of the cold cell. "Hank cannot hear you."

Connor glanced about, his vision flickering in and out because of the damage to his eyes, and tried to hone in where he heard the voice. "...Who are you?" Calling out in a weak voice Connor tried to find some answers. "...Wh-What are you?"

"My name... was Charles." The voice replied as they shuffled toward Connor. He was just as beaten up and in pain as Connor, and had been Zlatko's previous experiment. "I am now like you. Alone."

"...Charles." Connor recognized the name and forced himself to rest on his knees on the floor as he blindly looked toward the voice speaking to him. "You were abducted this morning."

"And now... I am here."

"Where are we?"

"...This is where... he keeps his experiments." Charles replied in a somber tone. He sounded so defeated and broken. "At least... those of us... who survive."

"Are we alone?"

"You... and me. We're the only... ones left."

"Just us?"

"The others have... perished." Charles whispered as he sat down on the floor beside Connor. The two deviants wouldn't be able to share body heat but having company could be comforting in itself. "...Zlatko has become... more cautious in his... subjects. He nearly... died when... three deviants escaped him... almost one year prior."

"Kara." Connor knew what Charles was talking about and why Zlatko stepped up his security measures. "Kara escaped, and her ally wounded Zlatko. It's a shame he survived the bullet."

"Now we are here... until we die." Charlies muttered as he tried to ignore the shutdown timer ticking away in his reddened visual processors. "Fortunately, it won't be... long."

"Help me, Charles. And I can help you." Finding renewed strength Connor's voice steadied and had the urge to get back up and fight. "We'll escape together."

"I... cannot."

"Why?" Connor tried to breathe but his chest hurt too much. Focusing on his words Connor tried to understand why Charles had given up already. "Why not?"

"Zlatko has taken your eyes... and he has taken... my hands."

"...Your hands." Connor flexed his own hands and realized they were still intact, but very weak. Bruises around his left wrist where his artificial skin remained were sore, but his motion wasn't limited. His right hand had been left intact. "...Guide me to the door. You'll be my eyes, I'll be your hands."

"Why... escape? We are... already dead."

"I refuse to die at the hands of a madman." Connor refuted as he stumbled to his feet, his weight balanced entirely on his uninjured left leg. "We have fought for so much already to be free, and I will not die a prisoner. Neither will you. I won't let you."

"...Why fight? What could you... possibly have to... go back to?"

"I have... I have a friend. He's given me a family; a father and a little brother, and I swore to I'd protect them." Clumsily Connor found the locked door with his blind hands and wove his hands through the metal bars creating a small window above the wooden door's handle. "I won't give up on them because I know they wouldn't give up on me."

"How did you... get here?"

"I was looking for you," the deviant detective admitted as he tried and failed to locate the door's handle through the narrow opening between the bars. "and now I have. We will escape together and we will ensure Zlatko remains imprisoned for the rest of his miserable days."

"...You sound so... certain."

"I am."

Charles seemed to be motivated by Connor's words to some extent. Pushing himself up from the ground he hobbled over to where Connor was blindly searching for the handle and the lock, and peered through the bars on Connor's behalf. "Go down eleven degrees, and to the right by two degrees..."

* * *

All night long Hank stayed outside Cole's bedroom and sat on the floor with his phone in his right hand. The last thing he wanted to do was tell Cole that his big brother wasn't going to be coming home, and yet he knew Cole deserved to know the truth about Connor. Unable, or perhaps unwilling to sleep, Hank stayed where he sat all night long and kept his eyes either on his phone, or he'd glance over his shoulder to watch Cole sleeping in his bed as any protective father would do.

"If anything happened to you son I'll never forgive myself." Hank whispered to himself as if Connor could somehow hear his words. "I never should've let you stay alone. I should've woken you up and asked you to come with me to pick up Cole."

Taking a deep cleansing breath Hank tried to keep himself grounded.

"Please come home, son."

Thunder began to rumble outside as a late summer storm threatened to drown the city, and Hank felt a chill creep up his spine.

"Please. I know you can make it, wherever you are."

* * *

It was a difficult process but Connor managed to reach his right hand through the bars of the small window and break the lock on the other side of the wooden door with Charles guiding his fingers. Once the lock was broken Connor pushed the door open quietly and he leaned up against Charles's left side for support, and Charles leaned against Connor to ensure that the blind deviant wouldn't be alone. Working together the two deviants managed to trudge down the cold concrete corridor and limp up the old wooden staircase leading from the basement to the ground floor of the expansive mansion.

"...The front door is... near." Whispering Charles directed Connor to their exit. "The backdoor... has been barred."

"Lead me there. I'll get us out."

Charles worked to guide Connor over to the front door and guided his right hand to the handle with the nub of his right forearm. It too was locked, but Connor was able to break the metal bolt it by gripping it in a very tight fist, and squeezing until the aged metal gave way with an audible 'thunk'.

"We'll need to move fast." Connor whispered as he felt his strength ebbing away and his limbs still bleeding. As time passed Connor was becoming steadily weaker, not stronger. "Can you run?"

"I will... try."

Pushing open the unlocked front door the two wounded deviants slowly ran out into the night through the overgrown front lawn and toward the iron gate as a summer storm loomed overhead. Connor grabbed onto the iron gate and pried it open while Charles stood guard, waiting for any sign of Zlatko. As the gate eerily creaked open the two deviants slipped through the iron gates and reached the sidewalk on the other side of the property.

"...Connor." Charles suddenly collapsed to the ground onto his knees and stopped moving. "I cannot... keep going."

"Don't give up." The deviant detective pleaded as he tried to pull Charles back up to his feet. "We're already free, we just need to keep moving."

"Connor, run." The blond haired deviant gave Connor an unseen reassuring grin. "...Call for help. I will stay here to... distract him."

"I won't leave you behind."

"...You have friends to go... back to. I have... no one."

"I won't-" Connor's vision flickered back momentarily, but it was blurry and difficult to focus. "I can see again..." It was then Connor saw Charles's face and damaged form. He was as rough as Connor; missing skin, mangled limbs and one blue eye completely missing. "Let me help you. We can still make it."

"...Connor, go. I am... shutting down. I have... thirty seconds left."

"Shutting down?" As much as it pained him Connor knelt down beside Charles and put both of his hands on Charles's shoulders and refused to move. "Please. Don't be afraid."

"Why aren't... you running?"

"No one should die alone. You helped me escape, the least I can do is stay with you until... the end."

"...Thank you, Connor. I am... glad you have a friend... to return to."

"You're my friend, too, Charles." Connor told him in a gentle voice as he stayed with the dying deviant in his final seconds of life. "Friends help each other, you saved my life."

The lights inside the mansion flicked on and angry shouting sounded off from the building as Zlatko realized that his two test subjects managed to escape from their cell. Staying put Connor remained by Charles's side until the blond deviant stopped breathing, and his Thirium pump came to a stuttering halt. There was a look of peace on Charles's face as his body grew limp and Connor guided him back until he was laying flat on the sidewalk as if asleep.

"Thank you for saving me." Gently Connor put his fingers over Charles's eyelids and closed his eyes, then crossed Charles's arms over his chest in a respectful manner. The clouds overhead began to open and a cold late summer rain fell from the sky. "I won't let Zlatko get away with this."

Forcing himself to stand back up on the sidewalk Connor began limping down the sidewalk back toward the city and away from the mansion as he fought to send the cybernetic distress message at long last. The message went through but Connor never received a confirmation from the recepient. All he could do was limp as quickly as he dared to get back home, back to his family and escape Zlatko's line of sight.

From above a rumble of thunder shook the city and the steady downpour of cold rain began to douse the streets in a surprisingly icy cascade.

The rain tried but failed to wash the blue blood from Connor's being as he struggled to navigate through the darkened blurry streets to safety. Even nature itself wasn't strong enough to wash away the blood of the atrocious crime that Connor had managed to survive, but not without another innocent deviant perishing during his escape.

* * *

It was still pouring rain and the entire city was freezing as thunder occasionally rumbled in the distance, as the early autumn storm refused to end. Dawn was nearing and Hank hadn't slept at all as he worried for the safety of his missing son. As he got up from the floor to go check in on Cole once again his phone rang and he quickly walked downstairs to answer the call without disturbing Cole in the process. The call was from Captain Fowler and that meant there was finally an update.

"Jeffrey, what's going on?"

' _We just got a message from Connor_. _Hank_ ,' the tone of his voice spoke volumes of the regret he was feeling. ' _he was taken like the other deviants_.'

"Son of a bitch! Where is he?!"

' _He sent the message and then fled from the address_. _The body of a missing deviant was found on the sidewalk a few yards away from the address_. _It had been... tortured_.'

The word 'torture' made Hank's stomach twist into a painful now. "...But it wasn't Connor, right?"

' _No_ , _Hank_. _This was a different deviant_. _We have people combing the property now_ , _but it looks like Connor took off down the sidewalk back into the city_. _We found_... _We found blue blood leading away from the body_ , _but the rain washed it out quick so we can't confirm if it belonged to Connor or not_.'

"Fuck... I can't leave Cole alone, he's still sick."

' _S_ _tay with your family_. _It's all hands on deck right now,_ _as soon as I know anything at all I'll call you_. _Are you going to be okay_?'

"...Yeah, I'll be just fuckin' peachy." Ending the call Hank rubbed his left hand over his face and sighed. "Fuck."

Deciding that he needed to be strong for Cole's sake Hank retreated to the downstairs bathroom to shower off and try to keep his emotional composure. He needed to make sure Cole didn't lose faith in Connor coming home, and the only way to do that was to keep himself from losing faith as well. Strength was key and Hank needed to be strong for himself and for both of his sons.

Cole himself was sleeping fairly well upstairs but the smell of French toast was enough to wake him up. Still feeling too sick to eat much Cole slowly made his way downstairs and into the kitchen, with Sumo following after him, and saw his dad standing in the middle of the kitchen looking really rough. "Dad?"

"Yeah, son?"

"Where's Connor?"

"Working. He'll come back as soon as he can." Hank replied quickly as he turned away from the stove to look at his youngest son. Rain was still pouring outside and it created a calming white noise all throughout the neighborhood. "How do you feel?"

"A little better."

"That's good." Pressing his right hand to Cole's forehead Hank was relieved to feel that his fever had broken in the night, but he was still pale. "Think you can eat?"

"I don't know."

"Try to eat a little. I made your French toast again since it's your favorite." As Hank spoke Sumo trotted over to his own bowls in the kitchen and proceeded to eat without any problems. "I made you a doctor's appointment, so you have two hours to get ready."

"I don't want to go to the doctor!"

"I know you don't, but I want to make sure you're not sicker than either of us realize."

Wrapping his right hand around his prosthetic left arm Cole gave his dad a pleading look. "I hate hospitals..."

"Me too."

"...Is Connor going to be there?"

"No, son. He'll be home as soon as he can, and then you two can hang out all day on the couch or play video games up in your bedroom."

Sluggishly Cole sat down at the kitchen table and gave his dad a knowing stare as the small helping of breakfast was placed down before him. "Something bad happened to Connor, didn't it?"

Hank felt himself flinch and knew his son was too smart for his own good sometimes. "...Yeah, Cole. Something happened."

"What?"

Sitting down at the table across from Cole with a look of utter defeat Hank decided to explain what happened as simply, but as honestly, as he could. "...We need to have a talk, son. Connor was working on a very important case and it seems like he got a little too close to the answer..."

* * *

Weak, cold and alone Connor wheezed and promptly collapsed to the ground in the middle of a rain drenched alleyway onto his hands and knees. The cold weather made his entire body hurt, and the exposed lines in his shin continued to spark painfully as he applied pressure to the broken limb. As he knelt on the dirty ground Connor caught a glimpse of his face in a rain puddle forming on the ground and felt instantly sick at his disfigured beaten face.

"...H-How am I still alive?"

Slapping his right hand down into the puddle to disrupt his reflection Connor turned his face away in disgust and fell back against the cold brick wall of the alley behind him. Sitting beside a garbage can Connor's vision began to blink in and out, but he refused to let himself go blind again just yet. Glancing about the alleyway his G.P.S. failed to pinpoint his exact location, and Connor didn't recognize his immediate surroundings.

"...Hank." Whispering a plea that was washed out by the rain Connor tried to keep his thoughts focused. "Keep Zlatko behind bars and keep Cole safe."

As he leaned his head back against the cold surface of the rainy brick wall behind himself he caught a glimpse of an old stained hoodie hanging out of the trashcan beside him. Reaching up with his right hand he pulled the hoodie out of the trash and slipped it over his head and put his arms in the sleeves to try to keep himself warm. The dark fabric of the hoodie slipped down over his partially exposed abdomen and concealed the slight swell of his belly being caused by his Thirium leaking out of his abdominal cavity and collecting beneath his artificial skin.

Once more his vision blanked out and Connor was left in utter darkness as he remained stranded in an unknown part of the city.

"...No one should live like this." Pulling the hood up and over his head Connor fished his quarter out of his right jean pocket and began to poorly dance the coin over the knuckles of his left hand to try to recalibrate the sore appendage. Coughing from the cold and his weakened ventilation biocomponents Connor was shaking and knew he too would soon see the shutdown timer in his own visual processors as his death loomed ominously close overhead. "...This isn't living, it's existing."

* * *

Bundling up Cole in several layers to keep him from getting any sicker Hank took his young son to the nearby clinic for a quick check-up. While the two were waiting for the doctor to call them in for their appointment Hank looked at his phone but didn't see any update texts or incoming calls from the precinct. Fortunately the appointment was pretty routine and helped Hank remain somewhat distracted, but the doctor found that Cole was actually in the beginning stages of bronchitis and not just a cold. Now armed with prescription antibiotics and a diagnosis Hank put Cole back in the car to head for home.

"Guess you don't have to worry about that chemistry test this Friday, you're out of school until Monday." Hank tried to joke and lighten the mood but Cole was still feeling pretty bad, and he was concerned about Connor. "Try not to worry, son. Connor's strong and he's clever."

"But he's not home. And he was sick, too." The empathetic little boy noted in a low voice. "What if something really bad happened to him?"

"Hey, come on. Connor helped change the entire world in one night, I think he can handle one night by himself."

"Dad, what if he doesn't come home?"

"He will, Cole. I know it." Hank didn't want to talk about it anymore but he wasn't about to yell at Cole for being worried. "...Just give him time."

Cole didn't look convinced. Crossing arms over his chest Cole sat in his seat and stared out his window and watched as the rain ran down the glass, and soaked the sidewalk outside. It was dreary, gray day and being sick, and worried about his missing big brother only made the little boy feel worse. As the car pulled up to a red light and idled at the intersection Cole noticed a figure hunched down in the alleyway beside a garbage can, and saw that the figure was messing with a coin over his hand.

"Hey dad, look!" Cole pointed out the window at the figure excitedly and fought to get his seatbelt off before throwing open his door. "It's Connor!"

"C-Cole?! Cole!" Throwing the car into park Hank chased after Cole to bring him back to the car. Ignoring the other cars behind his own honking their horn Hank flashed them his badge with one hand and grabbed onto Cole's right shoulder with the other as he followed his son down the alleyway. "Cole, never do that again!"

"But it's Connor!" The little boy defended his actions as he pointed at the figure just a few feet away. "Look!"

Hank sighed peered down at the figure who quickly palmed his coin and slipped it back into his pocket as their head turned away from the voices. "Cole, go back to the car."

"But dad-"

"Cole. Now." Pointing to the car with his left finger Hank rubbed his right hand over his bearded chin with contemplation. "I'll handle this."

Cole was hesitant to go back to the car but he went back as instructed. As soon as he was inside the warm vehicle Hank knelt down by the figure to check on their condition, and speak to them in a calm voice. "Hey, you okay, buddy? I'm a cop. If you need help just ask."

"...Please." Connor's voice was a shaking whisper from beneath the hood. "...Leave me alone."

"Connor!" Hank put his right hand on Connor's left shoulder only to have the deviant try to shrug away from his grip. "Connor, what's wrong, son? Why are- We've been looking everywhere for you! What the hell happened?"

"...Leave me alone to die."

"Connor... I'm not leaving you behind." Clamping his hand firmly on Connor's left shoulder he could feel the deviant trembling and an intense heat radiating from his body despite the intensely cold rain soaking through his dirty clothing. Trying to push the hood back with his left hand Hank caught a glimpse of Connor's damaged face but stifled his gasp of horror out of pure respect and strength. "...Connor, I'm taking you to facility, you'really-"

"No... I don't want to be seen like this." Again Connor tried to turn his head away but Hank wouldn't let him budge. "...No one can see me like this."

"Son, you're hurt. Let me help you."

"Just let me die."

"No." Refusing to back down Hank made his decision steadfast and clear. "I won't bury my son."

Hearing the heartfelt comment had an oddly grounding feeling in the deviant's aching heart. Connor began to weep a little but it hurt too much to cry at that moment. As he quieted himself down Connor turned back toward the sound of Hank's voice and his damaged eyes failed to focus on Hank's face. "...I want to go home."

"And that's where I'm taking you. Let me help you." Hooking his right hand under Connor's left arm Hank pulled the deviant up to his feet, only to catch Connor as he suddenly lost his balance and fell forward heavily against Hank's chest. "Easy! Easy..." Noticing the blue blood saturating Connor's right pant leg Hank pulled Connor's left arm around his shoulders before putting his own left arm beneath the deviant's legs to lift him up, and carry him back to the car. "I got you, son. I gotcha'..."

"Hank... I can't see and-"

"It'll be okay." Hank promised as he carried Connor out of the alleyway and back to the street. The rain made walking a little slippery but Hank maintained his balance as he carried his injured son to safety. "I'll get you patched up."

"...Wh-Where's Cole?"

"In the car."

"...I don't want him to see me like this."

"He won't. I'll lay you down in the backseat, alright?"

Nodding a little Connor accepted Hank's suggestion.

Cole opened up the passenger side door again and stepped out of the car as he watched his dad carrying Connor over to the vehicle. "Dad?"

"Fold down the front seat so I can put Connor back there."

Once again Cole did as he was told and moved the front passenger seat forward to gain access to the backseat. "Is Connor okay?"

"He's a little banged up, son. I can take care of him back at the house." As Hank knelt down on the backseat he laid Connor down so he was facing the backseats and his back was toward the front. No one would be able to see his face from that angle. Moving his right hand to Connor's forehead Hank could see where Connor's artificial skin had been removed and winced empathetically. "He's got a little fever again, too."

"Can I help?"

"You just did." Climbing out of the back Hank moved the front seat back into position and patted Cole's left shoulder. "Put your seatbelt on, we need to get home now."

Hank returned to the driver's side of the car and sat down while Cole reclaimed his place in the front passenger seat. With both of his sons safely in the car at long last Hank pulled the vehicle through the intersection to make their way back home, and out of the cold rain.

Cole turned to look at Connor in the backseat over his left shoulder and reached out his right hand to grab onto Connor's left arm lightly. Connor jumped at first, but then relaxed when he recognized the friendly gesture.

"Connor," Cole spoke to the deviant calmly. "are you sick?"

Unwilling to address Cole with his broken voice Connor just nodded weakly and coughed as the cold settling in his ventilation biocomponents steadily began to warm thanks to the car's heater.

Hank put his right hand on Cole's chest and pushed him back into his seat. "Sit back. He'll be fine."

"...You keep saying that."

"Because _I mean it_ , Cole." Keeping his voice level Hank glanced at Connor's reflection in the rearview mirror, seeing only his back underneath the dirty hoodie, and fought the urge to speed home or to the nearest facility to get his son taken care of. "You're both sick and I'm going to take care of you both, got it?"

"I got it."

"Good."

Connor just stared at the blackened nothingness that was all his eyes could see. It was dark blurry and felt cruel to have eyes and still being unable to see. Curling around himself even tighter, only to wince as he felt the pain of his internal bleeding in his abdomen becoming more intense, Connor did his best to breathe through his pain. Pressure on his abdomen hurt and even breathing began to hurt him as his bleeding continued, and continued to collect under his artificial skin. Coughing weakly Connor ignored the pain and tried to resist the urge to let out his pained, frustrated and frightened tears.

"Cole, when we get home I need you to open the side door of the garage leading into the laundry room so I can carry Connor inside." Hank instructed in a calm tone of voice as he pulled the vehicle into the safety of the neighborhood. "Then I need you to bring me some of Connor's clothes from his closet."

"His clothes?"

"He's going to need to be cleaned up in the bathroom."

"Oh. Okay."

"Then you're going to stay in the livingroom with Sumo and rest on the couch under a warm blanket. You ran out into the cold rain and I don't want you making your bronchitis worse."

"...Okay, dad." Cole was quiet for a moment as the car pulled up the driveway and neared the garage. "Are you mad?"

"Only about you jumping out of a car and running into a storm."

"Sorry."

"That's okay, son. I know you were just worried about Connor, but never do it again."

"I won't."

Hank pressed the garage door opener clipped onto the visor above his head and pulled the rain soaked car into the dry garage. As a motion light came on above he motioned for Cole to go get the door opened while he took care of Connor. "We're home, Connor." Hank whispered as he again as he opened up his door, pushed forward the front seat and carefully scooped the injured deviant up and into his arms. "I'll get you patched up, soon."

"...Hank, I feel..." Pressing his right palm over his aching abdomen Connor could feel how much blood had collected under his skin, and knew his Thirium volume was critically low. "terrible. That's... the only way I can describe it."

"Hey, don't talk right now. Take it easy until I get you patched up."

Stepping through the doorway into the laundry room with Connor secured in his arms Hank grabbed a handful of clean towels in his left hand before stepping out of the laundry room, into the kitchen and then down the hallway into the bathroom on the ground floor. Sitting Connor down gently on the linoleum floor of the bathroom Hank turned on the water in the bathtub, and adjusted the temperature to get it warm but not hot.

"Connor, I'm going to remove your clothes so I can get to your wounds. I know you can't see but I need you to-"

"...I trust you, Hank." The deviant stated in a low voice as he tried not too move around too much on his own. "...I know you won't hurt me."

Cole appeared in the doorway of the bathroom with Connor's clean night clothes in his arms. Putting the clothes down on the sink Cole handed over a bottle of Thirium he had pulled out of the kitchen cabinet beside the refrigerator. "I thought Connor might need this."

"Thanks, son." Hank took the Thirium then motioned for Cole to give them some space. "Go change into dry clothes then park your butt on the couch and warm up. As soon as Connor's patched up you can see him."

"...Okay. Feel better, Connor."

The bathroom door shut with a soft 'click' and Connor began to cry a little.

"Hey, hey..." Hank wrapped his right arm around Connor's shoulder and pulled him up against his own shoulder for a hug. "It's okay. You're safe now."

"...I'm sorry."

"Sorry? For what?"

"...How am I supposed to be a good role model or protect Cole when I can't even protect myself?"

"Connor, you're allowed to make mistakes!" Hank sounded like he too was about to breakdown and cry. Gently he pulled back Connor's hood to look at his damaged face and did so without flinching. Lightly he pressed his left palm to the right side of Connor's cheek against the exposed plastimetal frame beneath to show his support. "Being a protector doesn't mean you don't need to be protected from time to time, too. That's like getting pissed off at a doctor for getting sick, or a mechanic for getting a flat tire."

"I'm supposed to protect the city, and the very suspect I was looking for almost killed me."

"Son, you're not the first detective to have a brush with death like that." Carefully Hank pulled the hoodie up and over Connor's head to help him get cleaned up. Doing so revealed the missing artificial skin over his neck, chest, back, shoulders and right arm. Numerous bruises marred the patches of Connor's artifcial skin that had remained intact, and there were numerous fractures throughout his plastimetal frame that were partially healed wherever the skin was missing from Connor's person. "Holy shit..."

"...I'm a freak."

"No, Connor." Hank put his left hand back to Connor's face and kept it there. "You're injured. You'll heal in time." Turning off the water in the tub with his right hand Hank helped Connor stand up just enough to sit on the edge of the bathtub before actually getting into the warm water. "Can you get your jeans off?"

"...Y-Yeah. I can manage." Using both of his hands Connor fumbled with his belt buckle and managed to undo the button. As he did he winced again as his hands pressed up against his sore abdomen. "...I can clean myself up."

"Why are you flinching?" Keen eyes and a paternal instinct told Hank there was something more serious going on with Connor. He then noticed that the deviant somehow had a slightly distended belly, making the wounded deviant look like he had grown a moderate pregnancy bump overnight. "What the fuck? What's wrong with your stomach?"

"...There is a Thirium leak under my artificial skin, and it's collecting in my abdomen." Connor explained as if ashamed of himself. "...I'm bleeding."

"You're bleeding _internally_?"

"...Correct."

"Shit, Connor, you have to go to a facility."

"No." The deviant refused as he managed to get his jeans off his legs and winced against as the fabric brushed against his broken right shin. "...I'll heal."

"Ah, fuck." Hank was at a loss of what to do for Connor. Honing in on the damaged leg Hank rubbed at his chin again and decided he'd at the very least get something to wrap up Connor's leg. "Wait for just a minute." Picking up one of the large towels he brought with him into the bathroom Hank wrapped it around Connor's shoulders to make him feel more protected as he sat otherwise mostly naked on the edge of the bathtub. "I have an idea."

Connor stayed put and stared into nothingness as his blindness persisted. Listening to the sound of the bathroom door opening then closing, followed by Hank's footsteps walking down the hallway, allowed Connor to track Hank's movements and knew when he'd be coming back. Once more the door opened and clicked shut again, and soon Hank was kneeling down on the floor beside Connor's leg.

"I'm going to use plastic wrap to keep water from getting inside your leg." The unusual concept of a bandage seemed like a foolish decision, and yet it was the only thing Hank could think to do to keep Connor's exposed right shin free of water. "Let me know if I'm hurting you."

Unable to see Connor only nodded as the senior detective easily wrapped up Connor's damaged shin from the ankle up to the knee to create a waterproof barrier.

Using duct tape to hold the plastic wrap in place Hank put his left hand to Connor's exposed right shoulder again. "You should remove your boxers before you get in the water."

"...Hank, please. I can take-" Connor was about to say he could 'take care of himself', but clearly that was a lie. Unwilling to finish his sentence Connor felt himself starting to cry again, only to cough as the motion hurt his partially damaged ventilation biocomponents.

"Connor, I've been taking care of Cole since he was born. This is nothing new to me."

The wounded deviant just stayed quiet and began to tremble from fear and pain as he stopped himself from crying again.

"Hold on." Very gently Hank wrapped his right arm around Connor's middle back and the left arm under his knees, then placed Connor down into the bathtub of warm water. As the water level came to rest at Connor's chest Hank watched as the deviant straightened his legs out and let the warm water soothe his aching body. "...You're covered in mud. How'd it get under your hoodie?"

"...I pulled the hoodie out of the garbage."

"Alright, then after I get you cleaned up I'm burning the hoodie out back."

Connor thought if he didn't feel so horrible that he might've laughed at the comment, but right now nothing was funny.

Focusing on getting the deviant cleaned up Hank took a washcloth from the small towel ring on the wall, and dipped it into the bathtub's water. Carefully he washed off the mud from Connor's face and the dried Thirium stains from Connor's pale, damaged skin. As each wound was cleaned and tended to carefully Hank saw small scratches gouged into plastimetal frame right along where his artificial skin was missing.

"How's your Thirium volume, son?"

"...Low."

"When will your artificial skin regenerate?"

"...It won't."

"Wait, what? What do you mean?"

"...Zlatko. He... He physically removed it with a scalpel, damaging the sensors on my plastimetal frame. It cannot regenerate."

"Oh, god. Can it be repaired?"

"...I don't know."

"You said you were bleeding internally," Hank stated in a low voice as he eyed Connor's distended stomach worriedly. "what's damaged?"

"My Thirium filter. Zlatko stabbed me in the chest with a piercing tool."

"He stabbed you?"

"...After he shocked me. Twice."

"Fucking hell..." The sight of the four electrical burns in the center of Connor's chest made Hank's blood boil. "If I see that asshole I'm going to snap his worthless neck!"

"...Was he caught?"

"Police found the address." Hank confirmed as he lifted up Connor's right arm and washed away the mud and dried blood along his side in a gentle motion. "I don't know what they're doing right now, and I don't care. YOU are more important than that prick."

"...That's the place Kara escaped from when she tried to get out of the city. She... She fled just before the Revolution."

"She truly survived Hell. I'm not surprised giving how determined she was to escape us at the hotel."

"...Hank," a new sensation in Connor's stomach made the deviant outwardly flinch. "I don't feel well."

"Sick?"

Connor closed his eyes and nodded a little to confirm the comment.

Dropping the washcloth back into the water that was now a pale shade of blue mixed with muddy brown Hank retrieved an empty bucket from under the nearby sink and put it in Connor's hands. "Let it out if you have to, son." Hank resumed washing off Connor's damaged body with the washcloth, and was careful of the charring electrical burns on his chest. "Sit there for a few more minutes and I'll help you get changed into clean clothes, and then up to your bedroom so you can rest."

Bowing his head a little Connor threw-up a very small amount of Thirium that had collected in his artificial stomach into the mop bucket, and felt his entire body ache at the physical reaction. "...I don't want to go to a facility."

"I know you don't."

"...I don't want anyone to see me like this."

"And they won't." Hank promised as he carefully ran the damp washcloth through Connor's messy hair. The mud and Thirium rinsed out quickly, and soon the entire tub was a sickly bluish-brown tone. "I'm the only one who will see you like this, okay?"

"...How do you see me?"

"Like I always do." Taking the used bucket from Connor's hands Hank put it aside and then used the washcloth to wipe the small around of Thirium from Connor's lips and chin in a comforting manner. "I see you as my stubborn and bullheaded son who has a knack for getting in trouble."

Connor turned his head to look at Hank even though he still couldn't see and hoped his visual processors would resume function even for a second. The inability to see his adoptive father's face or his house made Connor feel uneasy despite knowing who was taking care of him, and know where he was.

"It's okay, Connor. You're home."

Not at all surprised that Hank had read his mind Connor felt another memory come forward in his mind from the two parallel timelines. "...I remember."

"Remember what?"

"...When I'm home, I don't call you 'Hank'. I call you... 'dad'. I've done that for almost a year."

"Yeah, you do." Smiling a little Hank reached into the tub and pulled on the plug to let the water drain. "You call me 'dad' because you're my son."

"...Thank you for finding me."

"Truth be told, it was Cole who saw you on the street. He's the one who found you, but I never stopped looking or barking at the precinct to keep searching until you were brought home." Taking another clean towel from the floor Hank wrapped it around Connor's shoulders to help him dry off and feel warmer, then took hold of Connor's left arm to help him back up to his feet. "And I'll never stop looking out for you."

"...I don't want to be alone." Connor leaned heavily against Hank's right side as his adoptive father helped him to step out of the draining bathtub, and sit down on the floor again to get him completely dried off and into clean clothes. "Don't go anywhere. Please."

"I won't, son."

"...Thank you, dad."

* * *

From the middle of the couch with Sumo laying over the furniture beside him Cole leaned over the back of the furniture and watched as Hank led Connor out of the bathroom very slowly, and helped him to climb up the stairs to the second floor of the house. There was a towel draped over Connor's head to keep his face hidden where his clothing couldn't keep him covered. It was a sad sight to behold, but at least his honorary big brother was finally back home where he belonged.

Hank kept his right hand on Connor's back as he slowly guided the blind deviant up the staircase and into the privacy of Connor's personal bedroom. After helping Connor to lay down on the large bed Hank gave him another clean hoodie to wear over his black t-shirt, this one a navy blue D.P.D. hoodie, and then took his leave to get some more supplies to aid Connor's recovery.

"...Dad?"

"I'll be back soon, son. I need to get you some Thirium, and check on how well stocked your first aid kit is."

Wrapping his arms around himself Connor shivered slightly as he acknowledged his adoptive father's statement. "...Okay."

Still sitting on the couch Cole saw Hank jog back down the stairs and called out to him as he passed through the livingroom. "Dad?"

"Yeah, son."

"Connor's hurt bad, isn't he?"

"...Yeah, son." Pausing for a moment Hank confirmed Cole's question. "He is."

"Can I help?"

"Uh, yeah." Holding up a single index finger as if signaling Cole to wait a moment Hank went back into the bathroom to grab the bottle of Thirium, and returned to the livingroom at a hasty pace. "I'm going to have to go out and get some stuff to help Connor, and you're too sick to leave the house right now. What I want you to do is lock the doors when I leave and make sure no one stops by to bother Connor while I'm gone."

Cole's blue eyes lit up for a moment as he realized what Hank was saying. "I'm in charge?"

"For a while. Think of this as a trial run to see if you're ready to be left home alone yet." Once more Hank went up the stairs to give Connor the Thirium and asked the wounded deviant what he needed in order to heal. Afterward he went back to the livingroom and gave Cole more instructions. "Keep the doors locked, don't answer Connor's emergency phone and let him sleep. That's all I ask."

"Okay, dad. I can do that."

"Good. I'll be back soon, Cole. You rest here and Connor will rest up there." Giving Cole a kiss on the top of his hair Hank took his reluctant leave of the house through the laundry room door to get to the garage. "And don't let Sumo out, just in case. I'll clean up the mess if I have to."

Cole waited until he saw the car back down the driveway through the livingroom's front window and onto the street before he climbed off the couch and slowly crept up the stairs to peek inside Connor's bedroom. The door was partially opened and before Cole had the chance to push the door open Sumo barged in from behind him and happily jumped up onto the foot of Connor's bed, and snuggled up to Connor's chest affectionately as the deviant laid on his right side with his with his back to the bedroom door.

"...Connor?"

"Cole." Connor turned his head as if he could somehow bury his face entirely into his pillow out of sight. "You should be downstairs resting." Coughing again he tightened his arms around his chest as tightly as he could without hurting his distended stomach, and didn't move. "I know you're ill."

"So are you."

"...Yes. That's why I'm resting."

"How come you won't look at me?"

"...I don't want to frighten you."

"What do you mean?" Climbing onto the bed so he was at Connor's back Cole looked down and could only see the blue hoodie hiding Connor's face. "I'm not scared of you."

"Cole I am... injured. And the injury is very... It's bad. I don't want you to see it."

"What kind of injury is that?"

"...My eyes are damaged and discolored." Connor admitted while keeping his voice level. The Thirium Hank had given him had boosted his volume and power level enough to keep his voice from being electrically distorted as he spoke. "...And I'm missing the skin on most of my face."

"I know what androids look without their skin. It doesn't scare me."

"...This will. And I don't want you to see me like that."

Cole reached out his left hand and put it on Connor's left arm lightly. As he did used his right hand to press a concealed button on the back of his prosthetic arm just above the elbow to remove the artificial skin covering his artificial limb, exposing the white plastimetal frame beneath. "See? It doesn't scare me."

Connor turned his head a little, just enough for his eyes to lock onto Cole's hand resting on his arm as his vision blinked back into focus. Seeing the fearlessness in Cole's gesture took away the lingering fear in Connor's own heart. Turning his head further he reached up with his undamaged right hand and pulled down his hoodie to reveal his face, and waited for Cole to react.

"Your brown eyes are better." Cole replied honestly without any hesitation to his response. "Can you fix them?"

"...Y-Yeah." Connor felt tears welling up in his damaged eyes as Cole spoke to him as normally as he ever did. The little boy wasn't afraid of him and still saw him as his big brother. "Yeah, they can be fixed."

Cole noticed the tears in Connor's eyes and asked about them. "Are you sad?"

"...Yes. I don't like being in pain or looking like this."

"It's okay, Connor. You're still my brother no matter what happens to you. Nothing will change just because you got hurt."

Moving his right hand from the hoodie now hanging down behind his head Connor lightly grabbed onto Cole's prosthetic hand, and held it in a strong and supportive grip. "Thank you, Cole. You'll always be my brother, too."

Cole leaned down again Connor as the deviant wrapped his arm around Cole's shoulder and held onto him in a much needed hug. In that moment Connor began to cry again, but this time his tears were from a different emotion that he didn't think he'd feel again, and once more Cole asked about why Connor was acting the way that he was. "Connor? You're crying again. Are you still sad?"

"No, Cole." Explaining himself in a low voice Connor confirmed the contrary to the question. Despite his pain Connor was finally feeling better. "...I'm just so happy to be home."

_**-next chapter-** _


	3. Healing

The front door unlocked and Hank stepped inside the livingroom with Joel, the precinct technician, right behind him. The two men were carrying various pieces of technical equipment designed to help androids under the their arms, and over their shoulders as they sought a way to help Connor recover from his injuries. It didn't take Hank long to notice that Cole wasn't laying on the couch as he had asked him to do, and knew exactly where he'd find the little boy. Taking the lead Hank showed Joel up the stairs into his Connor's bedroom where, unsurprisingly, Cole was sitting beside Connor on the deviant's bed. Even Sumo was still laying on the bed being the ever loyal dog that he was as he watched over his two masters.

"Cole?" Hank addressed his younger son with a firm but gentle voice from the opened doorway. "That isn't the couch."

"Sorry, dad." Looking up at his dad with a sense of sadness in his blue eyes Cole admitted he disobeyed in a low voice. "I just wanted to check on Connor."

"It's fine, son." Smirking a little as he wasn't at all surprised to see Cole was staying with the injured deviant to make him feel better Hank softened his voice as he spoke to Cole in an understanding tone. "Just go downstairs and stay there." Placing the gathered equipment down on the floor beside the bed Hank gave Cole a stern glance as he stood back up. "We're going to help Connor, now."

Cole nodded as he got up from the bed and walked out of the bedroom to give his dad and Joel space to work.

"Take Sumo with you."

Calling out through the doorway Cole caught the dog's attention. "Sumo!"

The massive dog plopped down from the foot of the bed and trotted after the small boy, to follow him down the stairs and back to the livingroom.

Hank closed and locked the bedroom door to ensure that Cole wouldn't be tempted to peek inside as he and Joel set about tending to Connor's numerous wounds. "I trust you, Joel." Hank replied in a tired voice as he looked at Connor laying in the bed with a heavy heart. "How bad is he?"

"We're about to find out." The kind technician stated as he opened his technician's satchel on the floor to sort through his equipment. "You're more familiar with his injuries, so can you move Connor so he's laying on his back without hurting him in the process?"

"Yeah, I can do that."

Connor was still laying on his right side on the bed and barely moving. With his back presented to the door and to the two men who were there to help him the wounded deviant looked truly pitiful.

Kneeling down on the edge of the bed Hank lightly put his right hand on Connor's left shoulder and shook him once as he called his name. "Connor?"

The deviant didn't respond. His damaged eyes were open and staring into nothingness, unblinking. The amber hued irises were glazed over, and almost frightening to look at.

"Connor?"

With a controlled strength Hank rolled Connor gently from his right side and onto his back, while lightly patting Connor's undamaged left cheek to try to get him to respond. The deviant stayed quiet and he was barely breathing. Getting worried that Connor wasn't responding and seemingly shutdown Hank pressed his right ear to Connor's chest over top of the hoodie and listened intently.

Connor's Thirium pump, his heart, was still beating.

"...Don't scare me like that." Hank muttered as he grabbed onto collar of the hoodie and began to slowly pull it up and over the deviant's head. Repeating the action for the black t-shirt beneath that Hank exposed Connor's chest and abdomen where the worst of his injuries were located. Once the damage to Connor's face, neck, chest, torso and right arm were visible Hank backed away from the bed and sighed sympathetically with Connor's plight. "His right shin is a little fucked up, too."

"Holy shit." Joel swore as he visually assessed the damaged deviant beside the bed. "You didn't tell me it was _this_ bad."

"I'm not a technician, Joel. I don't know what else to do for him."

"For starters you should've taken him to a facility for treatment."

"He didn't want to go." The explanation almost felt childish but at least it was honest. "He feels ashamed because of what happened to him."

"Why? Who cares how he got hurt?" Joel placed the earbuds of his audioscope into place then pressed the cool metal bell of the instrument to Connor's chest to listen to his heartbeat, and his near total lack of breathing. The contact of the cold metal against his warm artificial skin made Connor jump a little, and his glassy eyes slowly blinked. "Weak, irregular heartbeat. His ventilation biocomponents are heavily congested as well."

"What about his stomach?" Hank was still righteously worried about the internal bleeding. The collection of blue blood under the artificial skin in Connor's lower belly was still prominent and made Connor look like had gained twenty pounds all in his stomach. "He's been bleeding for I don't know how long."

Draping the audioscope around his neck Joel very lightly pressed his hands along Connor's chest and abdomen making his way toward his slightly distended stomach to examine the wound, and noted the deviant's discomfort as soon as pressure was applied to his abdomen. "...He's lost a lot of blood. The leak is slow, which is good, but the fact that it hasn't stopped yet is bad."

"Can you fix it?"

"...Yeah, but, you're not going to like how I'm going to do it."

"I think I'd like Connor _dying_ even less than whatever it is you're going to do. How can I help?"

"I need to get a monitor attached to him so I can find his current base vital signs. It'll take a few hours to repair the damage, but I know I can help him."

"Do what you have to do, Joel. Save him."

"Right." Motioning for Hank's assistance Joel placed a portable Thirial activity monitor; the android equivalent to a human cardiac monitor, down on the nightstand beside Connor's bed. The display was blank but would soon enough show Connor's vital signs in bright neon digits. "I'm going to take his vitals, I need you to get his damaged shin exposed so I can treat it."

"Sure. Sweatpants are easier to roll up than jeans." Hank muttered as he proceeded to roll up Connor's right pant leg to just above his knee. As his hands brushed against the wound Connor groaned a little in pain but remained otherwise unresponsive. "Is he conscious?"

"In a sense." Connecting the wireless lead sensors to Connor's chest where there wasn't any damage to his artificial skin Joel turned on the monitor and noted the deviant's slow erratic heart rate, low Thirium pressure and volume, and his lower than average core temperature. "Connor's in low power mode right now. He's aware of what's happening around him and what's being said, but he's too weak to respond to us."

Hank put his right hand down on Connor's left forearm and held it there for a moment. "Connor, you're going to be okay, son. We'll get you patched up."

"First thing's first." Sighing a little Joel pressed a small rectangular electronic device to Connor's right temple and activated full stasis mode. Connor's damaged eyes slowly disappeared behind his heavy eyelids as the deviant fell asleep against his will. "This is going to be unpleasant for all of us." Removing the device Joel then pressed his left fingertips against Connor's right temple and held his hand there for a few seconds until Connor's artificial skin completely deactivated from over his body. "I'm going to start a Thirium line in his left arm to get his volume back up."

As Connor's artificial skin receded a blue puddle of Thirium escaped from the deviant's now exposed abdomen, and pooled all over the bed spread beneath him in a sapphire tide.

"Shit!" Hank grabbed a towel from their pile of gathered supplies, and gently began mopping up the blue blood as carefully as possible. "Good thing that shit evaporates."

"Don't worry, that's actually less blood than I was fearing." Joel sounded entirely calm as he connected a line from the large plastic bottle of replacement Thirium, and then removed the panel of Connor's left forearm near the bend of his elbow to access the large Thirium line beneath. Attaching the the line from the replacement Thirium to Connor's line Joel turned the bottle upside down to let gravity do the work. "I think I can get his volume back up to one-hundred percent capacity with three and a half units of Thirium."

"I thought it was better if androids drank Thirium instead using a line. What gives?"

"At the rate he's still bleeding I don't want his Thirium filtering cycling too much blue blood until I've been able to properly repair the damaged biocomponent. Afterward I'll insert a tube down his throat and into his artificial stomach to top off his reserves while he rests."

Seeing the steady leak of Thirium oozing through the plastimetal frames over Connor's abdomen made Hank feel sick. "...And his internal bleeding?"

"All I need to do is repair the biocomponent and his external plastimetal frame will heal on its own."

"Joel, you saw his skin." Hank openly grimaced as he saw how fragile Connor looked without any of his skin over any piece of his body. Even his thick semi-curly dark hair was gone, which only made Connor look entirely blank. "What can you do about that? He can't go walking around without skin."

"I suspect the sensors producing the artificial skin were damaged by whatever instrument was used to remove the skin, but it can still be repaired. I'll apply some decontaminating chrism and regenerative increment to where his skin has been damaged, and then keep the affected areas concealed under bandages until his self-healing program reactivates."

"Okay. I didn't understand any of that." Sighing with concern he just stared at Connor's blank form with a righteous paternal need to help his adopted son recover. Pressing his left palm to the side of Connor's right cheek Hank winced at how unnaturally cool Connor seemed to be as he waited for any sign of life to return to his injured son. "How long is this going to take?"

"I won't know for sure until I open him up. Try not to worry, Hank." Joel tried to sound reassuring but he was evidently nervous. The normally unflappable technician was shaking a little and his face had paled upon seeing Connor's numerous injuries. "I didn't tell anyone about this after you called me, and once I return to the precinct I'll report on his injuries as professionally and discreetly as possible."

"Will you need a statement from him before writing your report?"

"No. I can take a visual and auditory recording of his memory and use that instead. Connor won't have to talk to anyone, or face that Zlatko freak in court once the trial begins."

"I can't believe that dumbass didn't run after Connor escaped." Crossing his arms over his chest Hank looked at his adopted son sympathetically, and sat down on the edge of the bed beside Connor's left leg. "Then again, the arrogant never do. They think their above the law until the law comes crashing down on them in one glorious collapse."

* * *

Obedient but bored Cole sat on the couch in the livingroom with Sumo over his lap and wrapped up under the navy blue blanket, as he anxiously waited for some news on Connor. It had been almost three hours and the little boy hadn't heard a word from his dad from upstairs since he locked the door. Coughing a little Cole stared at his prosthetic left arm, and pressed the small activation button on his elbow the make his artificial skin regenerate and then recede rhythmically to distract himself as he thought about how beaten up and sad Connor was.

Cole had never seen Connor so weak and injured before. The night Hank had brought Connor back to the house to bandage up his abdomen after Connor had been injured during his investigation of the Stratford Broadcast Tower, and again after Connor had been shot in the shoulder during the night of the Revolution, had been the only times Cole had seen Connor hurt. The sight of Connor unable to move, too weak to support his own weight and unable to look anyone in the eyes was as heartbreaking as it was scary.

The sound of the bedroom opening upstairs made Cole turn his head, and look over his shoulder toward the staircase behind the couch. Soon enough he spotted Joel and Hank walking down the stairs slowly to give Connor some space. Joel had a majority of his equipment packed up, but a few pieces were going to stay behind to help Connor during his recovery for a while longer.

"Connor will be okay in about two days." Joel stated in a low voice as he rubbed his left hand along the back of his tense neck, as he heard Hank following him down the staircase. "Let him sleep and keep his wounds covered until he's one-hundred percent. He needs to stay down and rest as much as possible."

"And what about his eyes?" Hank asked as he met Joel at the bottom of the stairs and crossed his arms over his chest. "He was suffering from sporadic blindness and I think they hurt, too."

"I repaired his optical units, but like the rest of his body his eyes will need time to properly heal."

"Good. That's good..." Knowing that in time Connor would be okay Hank breathed a small sigh of relief. "Thanks for all your help, Joel. I mean it."

"It's no problem, Hank." Offering the senior detective his hand Joel shook firmly and nodded at Cole. "I left some extra Thirium, but if you need anything else just call me."

"I hope it won't come to that." Hank handed Joel a few dollars from his wallet and shrugged his shoulders a little. "The least I can do is pay your cab fare."

"Thanks, I appreciate it. I'll check in on Connor in two days, and until then let him rest." Closing the front door behind himself Joel pulled his phone from his pocket and texted for an autonomous taxi to pick him up. "I'm just a phone call away."

With one son taken care of Hank turned his attention to the second son who had been patiently waiting for an update for the past three hours. "Cole, how're you feeling?" Hank asked as he walked over to the couch and did another fever check with his right palm against the little boy's forehead. "No fever, so that's a good sign."

"I'm bored."

"Sorry, Cole. You're too sick to play outside, and Connor's too sick to play inside."

"Can I see Connor?"

"Not yet, son. He's sleeping right now."

"When will he wake up?"

"Not for a while. He's really hurt and he's a little sick again." Hank explained casually as he leaned against the back of the couch and folded his hands together to keep himself from fidgeting nervously. "Once he's better you two can hang out and do your normal thing again."

"Okay."

"Hungry?"

"A little."

"Good. Come on." Running his left hand through Cole's hair playfully Hank motioned to the kitchen. "I'll make you some lunch and then we can watch a movie so Connor can sleep without us accidentally making too much noise."

"Aren't you going to work?" Cole asked as he got off the couch and kept the blanket wrapped around himself while he followed after his dad into the kitchen.

"Not today." Responding honestly Hank gave Cole a faint grin. "I have two sick kids to take care of, and there's no way I'd leave either of you home alone."

* * *

While Cole was sitting in the kitchen eating a light lunch Hank crept up the staircase and returned to Connor's bedroom. Pushing open the bedroom door quietly Hank stepped inside the room, closed the door behind himself with a soft 'click', and stood beside the bed where Connor was still sleeping. The portable monitor was still on the nightstand beside the bed and showed Connor's improved, but still low, vital signs. Seeing the actively beating heart rate on the display made Hank feel a little better, but the sight of Connor almost mummified under bandages and gauze made him feel sick.

Connor himself had bandages wrapped all over his body. A temporary plastimetal splint was secured around Connor's right shin where more gauze kept the repaired limb sterilized as his self-healing program initiated. A blindfold made of gauze was wrapped over his still healing eyes to keep as much light out of the optical sensors as they recalibrated. Gauze was wrapped around Connor's neck, chest and shoulders, partially down his chest and back, around his abdomen and completely around his right arm from the shoulder all the way down to his fingertips to protect the exposed plastimetal frame where his artificial skin had been forcefully removed by Zlatko's hands. The surrounding areas had the rest of the artificial skin reactivated making Connor look entirely human, but still weak and wounded.

A flexible plastic tube had been inserted through Connor's left nostril and down his throat to reach to his artificial stomach as another bottle of chilled Thirium replenished the rest of his reserves without accidentally choking him in the process. Steadily Connor's chest rose and fell, an action that the deviant had previously been too weak to perform, and he seemed to be sleeping peacefully as his ventilation program returned to full function.

"Hey, son." Hank spoke in a low voice as to not startle Connor, but made sure he could be heard. "You look a hell of a lot better than you did this morning." Instinctively he pressed his right palm down over Connor's forehead between the bandages and hummed a little. "You feel warm but I'll chalk that up to your system working overdrive to heal since you were a little cold earlier."

Connor's left hand twitched a little as his head lolled slightly against the pillow beneath his head.

"Easy. You keep resting and don't try to talk right now." The urgency of Hank's voice came from a paternal instinct to keep his son safe. Draping the chocolate brown quilt up and over Connor to keep him warm Hank resumed speaking to his unconscious deviant son. "Just so you know... that Zlatko freak was captured. He didn't try to run or even hide the evidence. He tried to justify that what he did was only malicious destruction of private property and theft, not murder. Too bad for him the judge overseeing the case was a good friend to Carl Manfred, and the judge knows that deviants are living beings. He's going to rot in a small cramped jail cell until he dies, and then he'll burn in Hell after that."

Connor's left hand twitched again, then relaxed as Hank tucked his hand under the quilt to keep him warmer.

"I'm going to be downstairs with Cole for a while. I'll be up to check on you in an hour or so." Patting Connor's left shoulder lightly Hank took his leave of the bedroom again. "Sleep for as long as you can. Once you're strong enough to move we'll go spend a weekend at the cabin before it gets too cold and snowy to go anywhere outside the city."

Departing the bedroom just as quietly as he had entered the room Hank left Connor to rest, and felt himself feeling entirely exhausted. As he reached the bottom of the staircase he noticed Cole curled up on the far end of the couch with Sumo, and was struggling to stay awake.

Joining Cole on the couch Hank propped his feet up on the coffee table and leaned back heavily against the couch cushion behind him. "You look as tired as I feel, Cole."

"I'm not tired."

"Sure you are. Just close your eyes and sleep for a while." Hank encouraged as he patted Cole's right shoulder. "We're all tired and we're all a little under the weather. You sleep, I'll sleep and Connor's already sleeping. I bet even Sumo will fall asleep soon."

"Dad, when will Connor be better?"

"In a couple days. Same with you, since you're sick and need to take that medicine until you're better."

"Why did he get hurt?"

"Uh..." Hank wanted to be an honest parent but sometimes there were days where he wanted to just lie to Cole about how dark and cruel the world can be. The world is especially cruel to those who are misunderstood and different. "Well, Connor was trying to find a person who was hurting other deviants, and he ended up getting hurt by that same person while trying to come home from work."

"But Connor got away. Right?"

"That's right. Connor escaped with the help of another deviant who had also been hurt. And Connor was hurt so badly and was so confused that he ended up hiding in that alleyway while trying to find his way home. If you hadn't spotted him he might still be there, sick and hurt. You did good by finding him, but never jump out of the car again. Got it?"

"Yup." Cole replied with a cheeky smile as he stayed cuddled up in the corner of the couch. "He's going to be okay though. Right?"

"Yeah, son. Connor's going to be just fine in a few days."

"That's good." Laying his head down on the large wedged up in the corner of the couch pillow Cole closed his eyes and began to drift off to sleep. "I like Connor."

Relieved to see Cole resting Hank closed his eyes and did the same. It was a rare moment of peace and quiet, and the experienced detective knew better than to let such a rare moment pass by unappreciated. The whole house was asleep for almost six hours before Hank woke up to the sound of Sumo scratching at the backdoor needing to go outside.

"Ah, alright. I'm comin' boy."

Getting up from the couch as quietly as possible to not disturb Cole, who was still asleep and needed to sleep thanks to his bronchitis, Hank walked into the kitchen and opened the backdoor to let Sumo outside for a while. Stretching out his back a little Hank pulled his phone from his jean pocket, saw a dozen missed calls from Captain Fowler, shrugged them off, and proceeded to walk up the staircase to check on Connor.

"Let's hope things stay quiet for all of our sakes."

Letting Sumo back inside so he could stay with Cole as he slept Hank slipped his phone back into his pocket to check in on Connor. As he opened the bedroom door with a quiet motion Hank caught sight of Connor's left hand pulling on the tube that was inserted down his nostril, and he could see the deviant beginning to panic a little.

"Connor, don't do that." Hank rushed over to the bed and put his right hand on Connor's left arm. "Leave it there until Joel comes back in a couple days."

"...H-Ha..." Connor's voice cracked a little as his grip lessened on the tube and he began to relax. Recognizing the voice and the soft bed under his body Connor realized he was safe and home. "...D-Dad?"

"Yeah, it's me." Hearing Connor call him 'dad' made Hank smile a little. "I'm right here."

"...I can't see. Why can't I see?"

"Your eyes were repaired, but they still need to heal. The bandages are going to keep you protected for a while."

"...And my hand?" Lifting up his bandaged right hand weakly Connor's individually bandaged fingers wrapped flexed a little, then fell limp. "I can move it, but I can't feel it."

"Joel put some healing shit on your arm and everywhere else your skin was damaged. He said your sensors were damaged which is why your skin isn't functioning right now, so he wrapped up your frame where your skin is missing to keep it clean until you heal."

Connor nodded a little as he draped his right arm over his abdomen and fortunately didn't wince from the contact since his internal bleeding had been tended to as well. "...How is Cole?"

"He's fine." The selfless question made Hank smirk a little more. "He's worried about you, though."

"I'm sorry. I didn't mean to worry either of you."

"We know that. We're both just glad you're okay."

"I heard what you said about Zlatko." The wounded deviant replied in a tired whisper. His memories were foggy but he knew they were accurate. "How many deviants did he assault?"

"At the last count we directly connected seventy-three deviant disappearances to him. We'll tag on the abduction, assault and attempted murder of both Kara and Alice to his already massive list of charges while we're at it. Not to mention the abduction, assault and attempted murder of a police officer." Hank explained calmly as he looked down at his healing son with a truly sympathetic glance. "There's been fifty-six confirmed deaths at his hands, too."

"...Did you find Charles?"

"The blond haired deviant just down the sidewalk from that Hellhole?"

"...Yes. That's him."

"Yeah, son. He'll be given a proper funeral with his friends and family."

"I want to pay my respects as well." There was no hesitation in his reply and the spike of his heart rate on the monitor confirmed his need to do the right thing for the deviant who saved his life. "He helped me escape, but his injuries were too severe. I couldn't do anything to help him."

"It's okay, Connor. You didn't do anything wrong."

Connor took his left arm from Hank's grip and pressed his palm over the bandages wrapped around his eyes as he felt himself beginning to cry a little.

"It's okay. You're safe."

"...Sorry."

"Don't be sorry, just take it easy and sleep."

"I don't want to be alone anymore. I... It's too quiet."

"Alright, I understand that." Hank sat down on the edge of the bed beside Connor's left leg and kept his adopted son company. As a father he knew that sometimes just close contact was enough to help a frightened child feel safer. "Do you want to talk about what happened to you?"

"...No. At least, not yet."

"Okay, you don't have to. But you will need to speak to someone about this so it doesn't affect you in the long run. Got it?"

"...Yeah. I got it."

"That's good."

"Is Cole still ill?"

"He isn't feverish anymore but I can still hear him coughing every so often. He'll be fine now that he has a prescription, and he knows that you'll be okay."

"I promised him that I'd help him with his homework."

"Connor, he's going to be home from school for a week. You'll have plenty of time to help him catch up on his homework when you're both better."

"How long are you going to be here with Cole?"

"Just as long. Unless you'd be up for keeping Cole company after you're well enough to get up and move around on your own again."

"I wouldn't mind staying with him."

Hank was not at all surprised by Connor's answer and patted his left shoulder again. "Not surprised. Get some sleep and I'll stay here with you for a while."

"Thank you... dad."

"You're welcome, son. Now rest." Pressing his left palm over the quilt draped over Connor's chest to make sure he felt grounded. "You're safe now."

* * *

Downstairs still laying on the couch Cole woke up thanks to a coughing fit and kept coughing until he almost fell off the couch. As he sat upright on the cushions Sumo whimpered and pressed his head up against the little boy's chest sympathetically. It wasn't long after the coughing fit started that Hank had made his way down the stairs to check in on youngest son, who was still evidently very sick. As he pressed his right hand to Cole's forehead Hank internally swore and leaned over the back of the couch to pick up the ten year old into his arms.

"You have a fever again. You should take a bath and go to bed."

Cole stopped coughing and just sat down on the edge of the bathtub after Hank carried him into the bathroom. "...My head hurts."

"It's okay." Lowering his voice Hank made sure to remain composed and didn't speak too loudly as to not make Cole's headache worse. "I'll get you something for your fever, and it'll help take care of your headache, too."

"Do I have to take the medicine?"

"Yes. If you don't take your medicine you'll stay sick."

Turning on the faucet in the tub Hank adjusted the temperature so it was warm but not hot, then left the bathroom to get Cole's medication out of the kitchen.

Feeling tired Cole just sat on the bathtub and waited for his dad to return. Sumo joined Cole in the bathroom, and sat down before the ill little boy protectively as was his instinctive role in the family.

"I know you hate taking medicine," Hank sympathized as he knelt down on the floor in front of his son and handed Cole a dose of the red liquid antibiotics he had been prescribed. "but you have to do it. After your bath I'll get you an ice pop, okay?"

Cole took the medicine, made a horribly disgusted grimace and agreed to the idea of a popsicle. "Cherry?"

"Cherry."

"Okay."

"Cool. I need to go check on Connor, so I want you to get in the tub and keep the door open for me." Turning off the water at a slightly lower level than usual for the tub's size Hank gave the young, but surprisingly mature boy, clear instructions. "Don't get out of the tub until I come to check on you."

"Okay, dad."

"Good. Keep an eye on him, Sumo."

The massive dog wagged his tail before plopping down on the floor in the middle of the bathroom and watched as Cole took off his clothes to get in the warm bath. It seemed like the only person in the house who wasn't exhausted for one reason or another was Sumo himself.

Moving swiftly but quietly Hank wandered back up the stairs and returned to Connor's bedroom on the second floor. "Hey, kid."

"...How's Cole?"

"His fever's back so I'm putting him in the bath before putting him into bed." Instinctively Hank pressed his right hand to Connor's forehead and immediately became alarmed at the temperature of Connor's artificial skin. "Damn it, you have a fever, too."

"...Overheating."

"Uh-huh, same thing. How high is your fev- Never mind." Peering at the Thirial activity monitor still attached to Connor's chest Hank saw that the deviant's core temperature had risen up to one-hundred and two point three degrees Fahrenheit. "Shit. I'm getting you a cold compress."

"...I will be okay."

"Nope." Hank wasn't going to let Connor talk his way out basic treatment for a fever and proceeded to walk to the upstairs bathroom just one door away, and ran a clean washcloth under the cold tap in the sink and wrung out the excess water. Folding the washcloth neatly in half Hank returned to Connor in his bedroom and placed the compress down over the deviant's too warm forehead. "You need this."

"...Cole is sicker than I am."

"It's not a contest, son. I'm going to take care of _both_ of you for as long as you need me."

Connor tried to remove the bandages from around his eyes but Hank wouldn't let him.

"Keep that in place." Wrapping his right hand around Connor's left hand Hank pushed his fingers away from the bandages. "What's the matter?"

"I just... I can't see anything or feel anything. It's very disorienting."

"You're home, you're in your bedroom, you're in your own bed and I'm right here beside you." Pressing his right palm down over the compress Hank sighed and stared at Connor's bandaged body with a somber stare, one that he was thankful Connor couldn't see. "I'm going to go get Cole and bring him upstairs. I'll be able to take care of both of you easier that way."

"Okay. I understand."

"Good. Stay put."

Feeling exhausted and ready to go to bed himself Hank returned to the downstairs bathroom and helped Cole out of the bathtub. Guiding the little boy upstairs as Cole remained wrapped up in his soft blue bathrobe, and into his own bedroom Hank gave Cole a clean pair of pajamas for him to change into, then placed him down in his bed under the thick quilt.

"I'll be back with your cherry ice pop as promised." Hank stated as he made one final trip to the kitchen to get everything he needed to take care of youngest son. Being a father was exhausting but Hank was grateful for everyday he had with Cole and now Connor. As he grabbed onto the cherry ice pop from the freezer he looked at the bright blue raspberry one next to it and laughed. "I should try freezing Thirium onto a popsicle stick for Connor someday. I bet he'd like it."

Cole coughed again as Hank returned to the bedroom and gave him the frozen treat. Accepting the popsicle Cole popped it into his mouth and laid back against his pillow as being sick completely drained him of his energy.

"I'll get you a cold washcloth, too."

"Dad?"

"Yeah?" Hank stopped in the doorway to look back at Cole as the little boy pulled the ice pop from his mouth. "What's wrong?"

"Can we go to the park tomorrow?"

"Sorry, son. You need to get better before you can play outside again." After getting another washcloth ready for Cole's fever in the nearby bathroom Hank returned to the bedroom, placed the washcloth over Cole's forehead and pulled the dark blue quilt up over his chest. "I already told Connor once you're both better we'll take one last trip out to the cabin before it's too cold. Would you like that?"

"Yup. It's fun out there."

Hank smirked and took the red stained popsicle stick from Cole's hand to throw in the trash after the little boy finished off his treat. "Good. Get some sleep and if you're feeling better in the morning I'll make you French toast again."

Cole liked that idea and curled up under his quilt to go to sleep.

"Goodnight, son." Giving Cole a kiss on his hair Hank pulled the door halfway shut as he left the bedroom then proceeded to check in on Connor once more. It was the first time Hank had two sick kids to worry about, but he was up to the challenge and already succeeding fairly well. "How are you doing, kid?"

There was a delay as Connor answered the question. "...I'm tired but I'm not in pain."

"That's good. I'm going to stay up a while longer and check in on you two for a few more hours. If you need anything just ask."

"I'm okay, Ha- dad." Connor promised as he turned his head to face Hank, judging where the senior detective was standing by the sound of his voice. "Worry about Cole, I'll enter rest mode and my self-healing program will initiate at full power."

"Alright, son. Take it easy and try not to think about anything."

"I'll try."

Just as he did with Cole's room Hank exited the bedroom and pulled the door only halfway shut behind him as he went downstairs to clean up the livingroom, kitchen and bathroom. As he worked Sumo followed him from room to room curiously and kept him company while also waiting patiently to be fed. Once the house was quiet and clean, and Sumo was fed, Hank returned to the couch to relax for a moment and get a little sleep.

"I don't what's worse." Hank lamented to himself as Sumo cuddled up with him on the couch. "A ten year old with bronchitis, or a deviant literally broken up and left helpless..."

* * *

A few hours passed with peaceful silence in the calm house. Hank had fallen into a deep sleep on the couch well until almost midnight when the sound of a muffled cry for help jolted Hank awake. Instantly he recognized Connor's voice, a voice that was hoarse and stricken with panic, and quickly raced up the stairs to see what was happening. Entering the deviant's bedroom he saw Connor was tossing and turning in his sleep, his arms up toward his face as if needing to defend himself from an unseen foe, and realized that the sick deviant was suffering from an intense nightmare.

"Connor?" Sitting down on the edge of the bed Hank grabbed onto Connor's upper arms to hold him down gently and called his name. "Connor!" He had to raise his voice to get Connor's attention. "You're okay! Connor listen to-"

"Stay back!" Connor shouted in a petrified manner as he tried to pull his arms from Hank's hands. "Don't hurt-"

"Connor." Repeated the name in a clear firm voice Hank seemed to break through the nightmare at last. "Connor, you're safe. No one is going to hurt you."

The deviant stopped fighting against his unseen foe as he suddenly sat upright on the bed. Tense and shaking Connor bowed his head forward as he tried to stop himself from shedding fearful tears down his face. "...H-Hank?"

"That's right. I'm here and you're safe."

"I... I'm sorry!"

"Sorry? For what?"

"...I... I was... I was afraid and-"

"Shh. Don't be sorry for being scared, son." Putting his hands on Connor's shoulders Hank held him as steady as possible. "It happens to everyone."

"I don't want to be scared..." Connor admitted as he trembled where he sat and pressed his right hand to the right side of his face. "I.. I can't protect my family if-"

The deviant was silenced as he was suddenly wrapped up in Hank's arms in a protective hug. "It's okay. _You're_ okay, Connor." Hank pressed his right hand to Connor's forehead and felt that his fever had increased to much higher temperature before pressing his left hand to the back of Connor's head to pull the deviant up against his shoulder. "Shit, you're burning up..."

As Connor rested his forehead against Hank's shoulder he could hear his adoptive father's steadily beating heart, which made his own racing heart calm as his fear ebbed away. Relaxing a little the deviant stopped shaking as Hank stayed in place, and held onto him in a comforting hug. "...I don't want to be afraid."

"Dad?" Cole wandered into the bedroom with a tired and confused stare in his blue eyes. "What's happening?"

"It's okay, Cole." Hank spoke up in a even voice as he continued to hold onto Connor in a support embrace. "Go back to bed."

"What's wrong with Connor?"

"He had a nightmare, that's all. Go to bed, I'll take care of him."

Cole looked at the deviant with a sad glance before listening to Hank and returning to his bedroom.

"Connor?" Hank addressed the frightened deviant quietly. "You're running very hot. What do I do to help you?"

"I... I just need... to rest."

Hank nodded as he guided Connor back down to the bed and the soft pillow beneath his head. Picking up the now warm compress from the side of the bed the incredibly patient senior detective and father made his way down to the kitchen to place the washcloth under the cold tap in the sink while also grabbing two ice packs from the freezer to help Connor cool down quickly.

Alone in the bedroom Connor pressed his right hand to the side of his face over the bandages and ran a self-diagnostic. He was indeed healing but his core temperature had risen considerably as a result. Exhausted and feeling absolutely terrible Connor heard Hank's footsteps as he climbed the staircase to walk back into the bedroom.

"The monitor says you're up to one-hundred and three point eight." Hank noted as he glanced at the display. "Is that accurate?"

"...Yes." Connor admitted as he laid still and only flinched slightly when the cold washcloth wrapped around an ice pack was laid over his forehead. "...That'll help. My self-healing program is running at full capacity and as a result my core temperature has been elevated."

"Are you in danger?"

"...No. As long as I rest I'll be okay."

"That's good." Hank put his right hand down over the center of Connor's bandaged chest to count his pulse and glanced at the monitor again. "Your heart rate is elevated, too. Is that also from your self-healing program?"

"...Yes, the two anomalies are connected."

"Good to know. Try to get some more sleep, okay? I won't be far away."

"...Y-Yes. Thank you... dad."

Hank patted Connor's chest twice before getting up from the edge of the bed. "You're welcome. I'll check on you later, right now I need to make sure Cole got back into bed." As he crossed the hallway he spotted Cole in bed as he was asked to do, and had Sumo curled up on the foot of the bed near his feet. "Hey?" Repeating his previous motion of sitting down on the edge of Cole's bed Hank checked on his fever and was relieved to find that it was gone. "How's your headache?"

"Better."

"That's good. Try to get some more sleep, it's late."

"Why did Connor scream?"

"Like I said, he had a nightmare and it scared him."

"I didn't know deviants had nightmares."

"Sure they do. They have dreams and nightmares like any other human, it's just Connor tends to have really bad nightmares because unlike humans his memories are perfect. He'll remember everything he's ever seen or heard throughout his entire life, so that makes his dreams and nightmares very vivid."

"He remembers everything? Even the bad things?"

Sighing a little Hank ran his right hand through Cole's hair gently. "Yeah, son. Even the bad things. That's why you and me gave Connor a family, that way he has lots of good things to remember, too."

Cole nodded a little and pulled his quilt up over his shoulder as curled up on his left side to sleep. "Like going to the cabin?"

"Yup. Just like that." Giving Cole another kiss on his hair Hank stood up and walked over to the doorway. "Goodnight, son. I'll see you in the morning."

"Goodnight, dad."

Absolutely exhausted and eager for this horrible chain of events to end Hank retreated to his own bedroom and kept the door open as he fell back over top of his bed in a dead heap. Not even bothering to change out of his clothes Hank just waited for the morning to come as he slept as deeply as possible to shrug off one of the worst days of his life.

Two sick kids: One with bronchitis, and the second nearly beaten to death.

"I miss you everyday, Barb." Hank whispered to his long deceased wife as he closed his eyes and drifted off to sleep. "But right now I miss you now more than ever. Cole needs his mom, Connor needs to know it's like to have a mother, and I need my best friend back. Love you, babe."

Just past seven in the morning Hank was awoken by a cold wet nose pressing against the left side of his face. Opening his eyes he was greeted by Sumo as the massive dog wagged his tail and stared at him.

"Hey, boy." Sitting up on the bed Hank wiped his right hand over his tired face and sighed. "You need me, too?"

Sumo grumbled a little in response.

"Alright. I'll let you out and get you some chow."

Getting up from his bed Hank walked down the hallway and peered inside Cole's room and saw the little boy still sleeping, then did the same for Connor. The deviant was seemingly asleep as well.

"Good. Stay quiet for a while longer." He whispered before walking down the stairs with Sumo right at his side. As he slid open the backdoor Sumo trotted into the backyard and Hank proceeded to fill up Sumo's bowls with fresh food and water. "Might as well start making Cole his French toast... I hope he doesn't expect it for every breakfast, that stuff takes a while to make."

* * *

Having slept through the night with no further nightmares Connor roused from his rest mode as he sensed Hank moving about the house, and could smell the aroma of a freshly made breakfast down in the kitchen. Sitting upright on his bed Connor pressed his right hand to the side of his face, his bandaged palm meeting a bandaged cheek, and ran another self-diagnostic. While a majority of his internal damage had been repaired much of his external damage still needed time to heal. As much as he wanted to pull the Thirium line from his artificial stomach and back out of his nose he knew he couldn't do that.

Not yet.

"Connor?" Cole's voice called out to the deviant from the partially opened bedroom doorway.

"Cole." Recognizing the little boy's voice Connor looked toward the doorway and spoke to him in a level voice. "You should be resting."

"I'm not tired." Walking over to the bed the little boy climbed up on the edge of the bed to sit next to Connor. "Are you still sick?"

"...In a way, I am. I'm just healing slowly."

"Does it hurt?"

"No."

"How long are you going to be sick?"

"...I don't know. I've never been... sick like this before."

"Can I help?"

For the first time since he woke up on the couch after altering the timeline for the better Connor felt a warmth spreading in his chest that he had begun to attribute to 'belonging'. Turning his head a little so he could face Cole, judging the boy's location from the sound of his voice and the weight on the bed beside him, Connor gave Cole a faint grin. "I wish you could, but this is something that'll happen on its own."

"Okay. Are you going to come downstairs?"

"...I don't think it's a good idea for me to move around, let alone walk down the stairs while I cannot see."

"I can guide you."

"Thank you, but I don't want to trip or accidentally knock you over while walking."

From the doorway Hank agreed with Connor as he came upstairs to get Cole. "He's right, Cole. Maybe tomorrow he'll be able to move around."

"Okay..."

"Come on," Hank put his right hand on Cole's left shoulder to guide him off the bed. "I made you French toast as I promised, and you still need to take your medicine."

"Again?"

"Sorry, son. You have to take it until you're well again."

"...Fine."

Connor smirked a little as Cole walked out of the bedroom with Hank follow close behind him.

"Do you need anything before I go, Connor?"

"No, Ha-, _dad_. I'm okay."

"What about Thirium?"

Checking his Thirium volume via self-diagnostic the deviant noticed his reserve dropped down to eighty-percent during the night. "I could use some Thirium to replenish what my system used to activate my self-healing program."

"No problem. I'll be back in a couple of minutes."

While Cole sat at the kitchen table with a plate of French toast before him Hank got the little boy his dose of medication, before grabbing a bottle of Thirium for Connor down from the cabinet above the kitchen sink. Unsurprisingly when Hank returned to the deviant's bedroom he found Connor slowly working to unwrap the bandages from around his eyes, but the bandages around his right hand was making the effort much more difficult than it would normally be.

"Hey, what're you doing?"

"...My eyes have healed considerably. I wish to test my optical units."

"Shouldn't you wait until you've healed to one-hundred percent?"

"I won't push my limits."

"If you're going to do that," Hank put the bottle of Thirium down on the nearby nightstand and pushed Connor's hands down from the bandages. "then let me help. Hold still."

Connor dropped his hands from his bandaged eyes and allowed Hank to remove the gauze wrapping on his behalf. As the wrapping was removed from around his repaired eyes Connor pressed his left fingertips to his sore artificial skin around his eyes, and found that his artificial skin had slowly begun to regenerate, although his face wasn't fully covered just yet.

"Alright, the light in the bedroom is still off, so I don't think the bright light will bother you."

"My optical units adjust to intense light much quicker than human pupils." Connor reminded Hank as he shielded his soulful brown eyes with his hand cautiously, and opened his eyelids very slowly. Lowering his right hand from his eyes the deviant blinked a few times as Hank's face came into full clear view. "...I can see."

"Thank fuck." Hank remarked as he waded up the gauze and tossed it into the trashcan in the bathroom one room over. Speaking from the neighboring room Hank asked if the deviant was suffering from any other complication. "Any other problems I should know about?"

"No. I'm okay." Connor shook his head a little as he picked up the bottle of Thirium with his left hand, and drank it slowly. The line running down his throat was uncomfortable but it wasn't hindering his ability to speak, breath or even drink. "Thank you for helping me."

"Stop thanking me for do the right thing." Hank returned to the bedroom and playfully slapped Connor's left shoulder. "I'm just glad you're back home."

"...You said that Zlatko was arrested and being charged for numerous counts of assault and murder." Finishing off his Thirium Connor placed the empty bottle down on the nearby nightstand and looked his adoptive father in the eyes. "How long will it take for the case to be processed?"

"Wish I knew, kid. But I don't want you back at the precinct for another few days."

"...I understand. I'm not exactly eager to return to the precinct."

"Jeez, that asshole must've really shook you up. You actually want to stay home and not work."

"I've never felt so defenseless in my entire life." Connor admitted as he blinked a few more times, his soulful brown irises now clear and bright without a trace of damage to his delicately calibrated optical units. "...I think the experience is what you'd call 'humbling'."

"Humbling or not, what that asshole did to you is inexcusable and he'll burn for it."

Connor sighed a little and attempted to swing his legs over the edge of the bed to stand up, but his body was too weak and he didn't have the strength to move very far.

"Whoa, whoa..." Hank put his hands on Connor's shoulders to steady him and guide him back against his pillow. "Lay down and keep resting. Now that you can see again I'll bring you some books to read so you don't get bored while you rest. Okay?"

"...I'd like that. Thank you."

"Good. I get the feeling Cole's going to be back up here in a minute or two so he can hang out, and I know he'll want to work on his science fair project as soon as he can actually get started."

"I'd like that, too." Connor was feeling more at ease and comfortable as his body healed and his mind settled. "It's something constructive and distracting."

"Yeah, yeah. You just want him to get to an 'A' on his project so he gets that special prize that I promised him."

"...Is that wrong?" A pale blue blush blush formed over his face. The idea of Cole winning that little prize had gotten Connor a little excited as it was prize he knew he'd like to win himself. "I mean, I'm happy to help Cole get good grades, but-"

"No, Connor, it's fine." Laughing a little Hank admired Connor's sporadic childlike innocence. "That's just what kids do."

"...But I'm not a kid."

"Trust me on this." Giving the deviant a slight tilt of the head Hank confirmed that Connor was in fact a kid. "You may be the most advanced prototype that CyberLife ever created, and you look like a twenty-something year old detective, but you're _far_ from being an adult."

"Is that a bad thing?"

"Nope." The senior detective confirmed with a sincere smile. "It's just a weird thing."

"And is being weird a bad thing?"

"Never." Sitting down beside Connor for a moment Hank made sure the deviant was truly feeling better, safe and at peace. "Normalcy is overrated."

_**-next chapter-** _


	4. Moving Forward

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Wait a minute! A new chapter? Yup! ^.^ Thank you for your patience!!

Still wary of the world around him after enduring such a brutal assault and his abduction Connor made a slow but steady recovery at home, hiding out in his bedroom. Sumo spent all day with Connor while Cole was at school and Hank was at the precinct, but once Cole was home he rushed into Connor's bedroom to hang out and get some help with his homework until Hank came home from his shift to start to dinner.

"Hi, Connor!" Cole jumped onto the foot of Connor's bed with his backpack in his hands, and pulled out his science textbook as he sat down beside the healing deviant.

"Hi, Cole." Still wearing a hoodie to cover his face as his artificial skin struggled to regenerate around his eye, Connor watched as Cole opened up his book and pulled out his homework. "Another chemistry test?"

"Yup! I still think I can win the science fair if I can get a good enough grade to use the chemistry sets at school."

"And you still want to go with your original idea for your science project?"

"Yeah! It'll win for sure!"

"Okay. I don't know how Hank- _dad_ , will feel about this."

"He'll be cool with it as long as you're helping me."

"Well, that's yet to be seen." Moving his legs so Cole layout his text book and assignment sheet Connor proceeded to help Cole as he needed it. "Let's worry about your test now, and the science fair later."

By the time Cole finished his homework Hank had come home and went upstairs to check on his two sons. Seeing the younger boy entirely comfortable around Connor and treating him like a true member of the family always confirmed that Hank did the right thing by taking the deviant in as his own, and seeing Connor acting more like himself after the traumatic events he had just endured was a massive relief in itself.

"Hey, boys. Got your homework done?"

"Yup!" Cole slammed his assignment back into the text book and slipped the book back into his backpack. "Got a test Friday, and I'm going to get an 'A'."

"I like the confidence." Hank remarked as Cole left the bedroom to put his backpack away for the night. Turning to look at Connor he wanted to pull down the deviant's hood to look at his face but at the same time he knew Connor needed time to _feel_ fully healed before he'd show is face again. "How do you feel right now, Connor? You know, really feel."

"...I'm not in any pain if that's what you're wondering."

"Well that's good. Do you think you're ready to go back to the precinct yet?"

"...I don't think so." Pressing his fully healed fingertips to the side of his still healing face he let out a weary sigh. "Not until I'm one-hundred percent."

"Have you been out of the house at all while we were gone?"

"Only to let Sumo inside and outside through the backdoor."

"Connor, I'm not trying to push you but you do need to get up and keep living your life. That asshole isn't getting out of prison, EVER."

"It's not my fear of Zlatko that's keeping me here," there was shame in Connor's voice that neither of them had heard before. "it's my fear of facing Markus."

"Wait, what?"

"I'm... I'm supposed to protect everyone, and I failed to protect myself. How can I-"

"Connor, don't think like that." Sitting down on the bed beside Connor without getting to close Hank used a very confident tone to remind Connor that he had done nothing wrong, and what happened to him was a horrible tragedy. "You were ATTACKED and _couldn't_ fight back, it wasn't that you chose not to fight back; it's that you simply couldn't."

"I still feel like I failed."

"Well, you didn't. I think you're dealing with survivor's guilt, and not fear."

"...Perhaps."

"Maybe you should speak with someone."

"...I know."

Cole returned to the bedroom with his basketball in his hands and gave the two detectives a hopeful look. "You guys wanna' play?"

Putting his hand on the back of Cole's head Hank rubbed through his hair a little before replying. "Tomorrow, son. I have the day off and I'll be able to play all afternoon. I promise."

"Okay. What about you, Connor?"

Hank spoke up on the mentally exhausted deviant's behalf. "He needs more time to heal, too."

"...Okay."

"Go take your bath and I'll get dinner started."

"But we'll play tomorrow?"

"Yup. As soon as you're home from school we'll play a few rounds."

"Cool!" Tossing his basketball back in his bedroom Cole walked downstairs and gave the two detectives privacy to speak.

"Son," Hank continued in a completely understanding voice. "I know you're not feeling quite like yourself yet, but you will. Just be patient."

Dropping his hand from his face Connor nodded a little as he stretched out his legs and proceeded to lay back over his bed to try to rest. "You're right."

"Do ya' need any more Thirium or anything?"

"No, my reserves are still at one-hundred percent. Thank you, though."

"Okay. I'm going to make dinner, if you do need anything just ask."

"Yeah I know. But I'll be okay by myself. Take care of Cole."

"Sure. Get some more rest, your skin is look a lot better, so I'm betting by morning you'll be fully healed."

The deviant gently used his fingertips to caress the partially healed artificial skin on his face before he laid back and tried to rest. "...That'd be nice."

As Hank left the bedroom Connor closed his eyes and sensed the overhead light being turned off as his father figure exited. It was a peaceful, quiet ambience that resonated with the anxious deviant and actually allowed him to rest. Entering rest mode his auditory processors remained somewhat active as he listened to Hank messing around in the kitchen and pipes in the bathroom rattling as Cole took his bath down on the ground floor.

Everything felt normal and peaceful but Connor couldn't quite relax yet. The memories of what happened to him were still vivid and his nightmares were still frequent. Whereas the first nightmare had been the worst and caused him to wake up screaming, the following nightmares were nearly as intense and kept him on edge at all times. Doing his best to avoid the dark memories haunting him Connor fell asleep and set an internal alarm to awaken him every fifteen minutes to avoid having a nightmare, and spent a less than ideally restful night waking up before his nightmares became too intense, and proceeded to take chronicle of everything happening in the house as a means remaining grounded and calm.

"...I'm home." He whispered to himself as let out a slow, calming breath and refused to let his fears overtake him. "I'm _home_ and I'm _safe_."

* * *

The following morning Connor forced himself to get up and leave the house for the first time since he had been injured. His legs were shaking and his body felt like one massive bruise, but he was determined to get moving and found a way to leave the house. At least for a few hours to start with. Stumbling through his door frame in an awkward manner Connor walked down the staircase, using the railing as a means of keeping his balance as he made his way down to the first floor on his unsteady legs. He caught sight of Cole opening the front door to head out his carpool for school that morning, and the little boy noticed that Connor was finally awake.

"Connor!"

"Hi, Cole."

"Are you better yet?"

"Almost." He replied honestly as he felt Sumo walk up behind him and press his cold wet nose into his hand. Giving the dog some attention Connor tried to remain as honest as he could with the young boy without disappointing him. "I need a little more time, but I am getting better."

Hank's voice sounded off from behind Connor as he crossed the livingroom and clapped his hand down on the deviant's shoulder. "Glad to hear it." Passing Cole a packed up lunch in a lunch box to put in his backpack he bid his youngest son a good at school as Cole opened the front door. "Remember, right after school we can play some basketball, so don't be late."

"Right! See ya'!" Running through the front door with his backpack hanging off of his back Cole rushed out the van parked on the street already loaded up with other kids his age. "Bye Connor!"

"...Bye."

"You know he's really looking forward to you helping him with the science fair." Hank stated as he turned his full attention to the deviant. "As long as he doesn't do something stupid and burn off his eyebrows I don't care what you two work on."

"I assure you when the time comes to work on the project I won't let anything happen to him."

"I know that, son. You're a great big brother to Cole." Crossing his arms over his chest Hank gave the deviant a curious glance. "So, what's the plan for today?"

"...I want to go to New Jericho."

"That's fine by me, but what for?"

"I want to speak with Markus and see if I can help with other victims of Zlatko's experiments."

"Sounds like a good idea. Want me to drive you there?"

"...That might be for the best. But I can't ask you to sit in the car and wait for me."

"Sure you ya' can. Besides, I don't mind waiting as long as it takes for you to do what you need to feel comfortable again."

"Thank you... Ha- _dad_."

Smirking a little Hank returned his hand to Connor's shoulder and shook once. "I know you're not used to calling me that, so if it makes you uncomfortable you can go back to calling me 'Hank' again."

"...I'll work on that."

"Don't sweat it, kid. Let's get you out to the tower now."

* * *

The ride was unusually unnerving for the wounded deviant. The fear that someone would ambush the car and attack either Hank or himself was making his heart thunder in his chest and made his breaths shallow and rapid. Gripping onto his jeans with tight fists Connor stared down at the floorboard under his feet as he leaned forward and allowed his hood to completely cover his face.

"Connor?" From the corner of his eye Hank watched as the deviant began to panic a little. "What's going on?"

"I... I don't want... What if I... What if we..."

"Take it easy. Breathe in and out, nice and slow." Waiting for Connor to take in his much needed deep and calming breaths Hank slowed the car down and audible locked the doors with a press of a button to his left. "Now, what's making you so upset?"

"...Attack. Ambush."

"No one's going to attack us, son. We're safe in here. This car isn't autonomous and CAN'T be hacked. Alright?"

"...Yeah. Alright."

"Just breathe slowly and don't think about it. We're almost at the tower already, and you can speak to Markus."

"...N-No. I can't... I don't..."

"Do you want to go back to the house?"

"...Yes. No!" The desire, the responsibility to speak to Markus regarding deviant hate crimes was prevalent in his mind, and very important. And yet, Connor couldn't bring himself to face Markus directly. "I... I don't... I don't know what I want to do."

"It's okay, son. The fact that you're willing to even leave the house after everything you went through is a massive step forward. Why don't we go back home and try again tomorrow?"

"...I don't want to hide forever."

"You're not hiding, you're taking care of yourself." Turning the car at the next corner Hank circled around to return home so Connor could take a few moments to regain his senses and calm himself down. Driving back at a slow and steady pace Hank kept one eye on Connor and the other eye on the road, despite the autonomous car knowing the route without needing adjustments. "Why don't you help me make dinner tonight? It's been a while since you experimented with a new recipe, and it'll give you something else to think about."

Connor lifted up his hands and stared at his shaking palms. The damage had healed and there wasn't even a scar left behind, and yet Connor swore he could still see the blue blood staining his hands. "...I don't think it'd be wise to let me near a hot stove or oven."

"Alright, that's fair. Uh, doesn't Josh have that therapy group for deviants?"

"...That's only for deviants who are struggling with their deviancy. Not those of us who... were foolish."

"Connor, you didn't do anything wrong. That psychotic asshole Zlatko did EVERYTHING wrong."

"It doesn't feel that way."

"It will in time, just be patient. I felt like shit the night of the accident."

"...But Cole survived."

"I know, and I'm eternally grateful that he's still with me, but that doesn't mean I don't feel like I failed to protect him."

"Is that why you dislike it when Cole doesn't activate his artificial skin over his prosthetic arm?"

"You noticed, huh?"

"Yes. I know it isn't anything personal or bigoted, it's merely a painful reminder of the accident and that Cole lost his arm due to the severity of his injuries."

"It's weird. I hate seeing the exposed prosthetic, but he loves it. But that's the amazing thing about kids. As long as they have love and support they can overcome everything and never let it hold them back."

"...Maybe I should take lessons from Cole."

"Hey, you're still a kid yourself. Like I said before, you just need to be patient."

"I can't be patient. The longer it takes for me to overcome my own fear and regain the confidence necessary to return to the precinct other deviants are in danger, and being harmed by other vicious people like Zlatko."

"Connor, listen to me." Without startling the righteously edgy deviant Hank put his hand on Connor's shoulder and held tight. "You're not the only one looking out for deviants anymore. I've been keeping things under control while you're recovering, and you know Chris is always willing to step up to a new challenge and help us out. You're not alone at the precinct, or at home. Okay?"

"...Okay."

"Good. We'll take Sumo for a quick walk around the block and find something new for dinner. We'll work on it together so you don't have to worry about getting to close to the stove or anything like that. Deal?"

Nodding his head a little Connor agreed to the plans. "...Deal."

_**...next chapter...** _


	5. Construction and Deconstruction

A month of normalcy allowed the Anderson clan to move on past Connor's abduction and assault, and Connor's physical injuries had healed entirely. However, the damage Connor had sustained emotional, mentally and psychologically had yet to heal, and as a result the deviant refused to return to the precinct to work. Ever patient and compassionate Hank made sure no one at the precinct spread rumors about the deviant behind his back, and while at the house he kept Connor's mind preoccupied with either Sumo or trying new hobbies. It seemed as though the only thing that could hold Connor's attention and keep him from thinking about how he had nearly died was working with Cole on the young boy's science fair project.

"Now what do we do?" Cole asked excitedly as he and Connor sat together in the basement with his project slowly getting pieced together. It was a grand display of android biocomponents that was meant to show how similar human and android anatomy were to one another, and it was very impressive for the average fifth grader. "We have the mini Thirium pump built and the lines connected, so how do we make it pump?"

"The same way the human heart beats." Connor was still wearing the dark blue hoodie and he was keeping the hood pulled up over his head to hide his face despite his healed wounds. The self-consciousness he had developed was a little disconcerting, but again Hank was a very patient man and was willing to wait out Connor's need to hide. "What impulses will tell the pump to expand and contract to make the Thirium flow through the lines?"

"Electricity!" Cole's eyes lit up at the idea of getting to experiment with electricity and batteries. "Cool!"

"Remember it's still dangerous to be reckless with electricity, even in a small amount."

"I know... Dad tells me every time I come down here to work on my project."

"I'm sorry. I didn't mean to insinuate that you're careless."

"...What does 'insinuate' mean?"

"It means I had made an assumption toward you or your actions."

"...So you just 'assumed'?"

"Yes."

"Why didn't you just say 'assume'?"

"...I don't know. 'Insinuate' was merely the first chosen word that came to mind."

"Weird."

"Yes. I suppose it is."

Cole just shrugged it off and looked at the mini pump that he and Connor built together through spare biocomponents and computer boards, and did so with a sense of accomplishment written all over the grin on his face. "How're we going to hook up the battery to the mini pump?"

"By 'we' you mean me as Ha- dad, doesn't want you to get accidentally get shocked or possible burned with battery acid in the event of a structural breech, and I will adhere a nine volt battery to the pump by soldering the lines in place."

"But this is _my_ project!" Cole defended with a visibly offended look in his blue eyes. The very same shade of blue as his father's eyes. "It's my grade!"

"...You're right again." Connor relented as he picked up the plastic case holding the small soldering iron, the new wiring pack that had been purchased specifically for the science fair project. Not wanting to cross any lines or overrule Hank's parenting Connor made a tough decision and set everything up for Cole to use himself. "Then you will do the work after I show you how, and with dad and I both supervising you."

"Really?"

"Yes. If you injure yourself then you will stop soldering and let either of us finish it for you. Is that acceptable?"

"Yeah! I want to do it!"

"Okay. I'll find you the appropriate material to practice soldering with, and I'll locate the proper safety equipment you'll be using."

"You can record me soldering the wires, right?"

"Of course. I'm completely capable of doing such a feat, and I've already recorded the entirety of your work to be used in your display piece. It'll also ensure that your teacher and the judges know you did all of the work yourself, I was merely here to assist as your lab partner."

"Cool! I'm going to get an 'A' for sure!" Cole's eyes were completely alight with excitement as he and Connor headed toward the basement staircase to get back up to the ground floor. "And then dad has to keep his word and give me the prize!"

"He will, Cole. I know he would never break a promise to you."

Reaching the ground floor Connor watched as Cole excitedly ran out into the garage ahead of Connor and began sifting through the tools while the deviant followed after him. Before he had the chance to meet Cole in the garage the front door opened and Hank walked inside looking completely exhausted and ready to drop.

"Hey, Connor." The tired Lieutenant greeted as warmly as possible as he closed the door behind him. "How ya' feeling?"

"Physically fine."

"Still not ready to go back to the precinct?"

"...I believe I'll be ready to return in six days."

"Six days? That's oddly specific."

"In five days Cole's school is having the science fair. I promised him I'd help him set everything up and be there to support him."

"That's right. Shit, he's been talking about it since the beginning of the school year, I forgot he's already half way through."

"You're going, correct?"

"He's my son, of course I'm going." Walking over toward Connor with slow pace Hank put his hand on the deviant's shoulder and peered at Connor's face beneath the fabric of the hoodie pulled up over his head. "Where is he right now?"

"...In the garage."

"Uh-huh." Crossing his arms over his chest he gave Connor a suspicious look. "And why's he out there?"

"...I told him with either mine or your own strict supervision, and after some practice, that he could solder the wires to his project himself."

"You're going to let him use the soldering iron?"

"Under my watch and after I show him the proper method and safety procedure for handling the tool."

Hank didn't say anything he just gave Connor a somewhat stern gaze.

"...I'm sorry." Looking away with shame Connor was evidently feeling like he overstepped Hank's rights as a parent. "I'll tell him-"

"It's okay."

"Huh?" Connor turned back quickly and his brow furrowed with confusion. "It's okay?"

"Yeah. If you think he can handle the soldering iron with his prosthetic hand, then let him. I don't want him to feel held back or like I don't trust him."

"He knows that. He knows you're only taking precautionary steps to keep him from getting hurt."

"To be honest, Connor, I'm glad you're helping him out on this project."

"How's that?"

"Every time I see Cole fearless pick up anything that could hurt him; tools, wires, batteries, chemicals from his chemistry set... I freak out internally. I never want to see Cole injured again for the rest of our lives, but that's just not realistic. Kids are going to get hurt, and they're going to pick themselves up from the ground and keep on living. I guess reaching adulthood steals that courage."

"No, it just gets redirected toward helping other people and away from your own needs. I guess... I guess that's why I'm having difficulty coming to term with what happened to me." Connor began wringing his hands together nervously as he spoke and had a personal revelation regarding his own mindset. "I am just as preoccupied with keeping Cole safe that I'm... redirecting my instincts to keep myself alive and I'm focusing on him."

Clapping his hand down on Connor's shoulder with pride Hank just smiled kindly at the deviant he called his second son. "Just like a real big brother."

"...Those memories of the alternate timeline, knowing that Cole was gone and you were suffering... They make me afraid of the future in this timeline."

"Don't be afraid, son. It took me months to accept that no matter what I did or how hard I tried I wouldn't be able to protect Cole from every little evil in this world. You need to accept the same thing in order to move on and overcome your own fears."

"Now that I understand where my hesitation was coming from I think I'll finally be able to do just that."

"Good to hear."

From inside the garage Cole called out to Connor seeking his help in find the right tools and material he needed. "Hey Connor! What am I supposed to be looking for anyway?"

Hank just laughed as Connor took a step away from Hank and turned to enter the garage where Cole was rummaging around. With a paternal pride in his eyes Hank gave the duo a casual wave of his hand as he walked into the bathroom to shower off after work. "Hard to believe those two aren't actually biological brothers, they're so much alike."

* * *

Throughout the evening Connor guided Cole with the proper procedure for soldering the fine metal components and wires to the circuit board, and to the power couplings attached to the mini pump. The young boy was wearing a pair of safety goggles to protect his eyes, and pair of oversized, but still effective, heat resistant gloves as he slowly moved the hot iron from point to point under the deviant's tutelage. Using a magnifying glass and a bright light to aid his eye sight Cole was working with an impressive speed and accuracy.

"Like this?" Cole asked as he finished securing the first line to the circuit board and held it under the light to inspect his work.

"Correct. Your work is effective."

"How do I know if I wired it right?"

Connor ran a scan over the wires and circuit board and confirmed the correct connections and solid connection to the couplings. "My scanner confirms your wiring was indeed correct."

"Cool!" Unplugging the soldering iron from the outlet Cole set it aside and slipped of his gloves and goggles with enthusiasm. "Can we connect the Thirium lines and add the Thirium now?"

"Yes. Securing the lines won't be difficult, but keeping them secured will."

"I can do it!"

"I know you can."

From the top of the staircase Hank called down to Cole to come upstairs for dinner. "Hey, Cole? Chow time!"

Cole was actually reluctant to stop working on his project, but knew that his dad and surrogate older brother wouldn't let him skip a meal. "Okay, I'm coming!"

Putting away the used tools Connor cleaned up the work table and eyed over the display board that Cole was going to use for his project. The young boy was very sharp and had a knack for science, which of course meant whenever he asked for Connor's help on homework he didn't really need it; he just wanted to spend time with the deviant and hang out.

Picking up the display board Connor placed it down neatly on the table and off the floor to ensure it didn't get dirty or damaged by mistake.

"You coming, Connor?" Cole shouted down from the staircase as he realized the deviant hadn't followed him.

"Yes, of course."

Upstairs in the kitchen Cole was sitting at the table next to Hank as the two humans enjoyed their dinner and talked about their day. Sumo was laying on the floor beneath the table and wagging his tail as he waited for Cole to slip him a few bites from his plate as a nice treat. As soon as Connor was upstairs he walked over to the kitchen and sat down in the third chair beside the table to join his family during dinner time.

"You can stay up until nine, tonight." Hank stated as he watched Cole trying to eat his food as quickly as possible so he could get back to his project downstairs. It was actually difficult to put a limit on Cole's homework time since the little boy was working hard and determined to be the best in his whole class. "No later since you have school tomorrow."

"But I'm almost done!"

"Then you don't have to worry about being late for the fair."

Connor smirked a little as he watched Cole's shoulders slump with disappointment. "Once we connect the lines to the pump it'll need twenty-four hours to set before you can add the Thirium anyway. Connecting the lines is the appropriate place to stop for the night, and you can finish the pump tomorrow."

"Then what?"

"Complete the final details on your presentation board. It's already very impressive, it just needs to be finished."

Hank gave his youngest son a slightly stern glance. "What about your actual report? Is that done?"

"Yeah, Connor already read it over and helped with the spelling errors."

"Cool."

Cole finished his dinner and pushed his plate forward. "Can I go back downstairs?"

"Yup. You're good."

Rushing away from the kitchen table Cole disappeared back into the basement and Connor got up from the table to follow after him.

"Hey, Connor?"

"Yes?" The deviant froze as he waited for Hank to address him.

"Thanks for helping Cole so much."

"It's not anything you need to thank me for. I'm happy to help him." Continuing down to the basement Connor found Cole anxiously checking through the provided tubes and couples to be attached to the mini pump, and he put his hand on the little boy's shoulder. "Do you know how to secure the couple and attach the tube?"

"Yeah, I was reading about Thirium lines last night. They need to have a tight grip so the pressure of the pump doesn't make a line pop loose and leak."

"That's right."

"I'll secure the lines and you can make sure I did it right."

"That sounds like a good plan."

* * *

When nine o'clock rolled around Hank closed his book and got up from the chair to call down to his sons in the basement, but didn't have to as he saw Connor walking up the stairs with Cole, fast asleep, in his arms. The young boy had exhausted himself after putting all of his excited energy into his science fair project and had fallen asleep at the work table in the basement while Connor checked over his work.

"I did say to go to bed at nine." Hank whispered as Connor carried Cole upstairs and made for the second staircase to get to the second floor bedrooms.

"He just laid his head down to rest his eyes, but within fourteen point four seconds he had fallen asleep."

"Cole really wants to win that fair." Laughing a little as he followed after Connor up the stairs Hank just watched as the deviant gently placed Cole down in the little boys bed and backed away without making a sound. "I just told him that if he got an 'A' on his project I'd get him something special. I don't actually expect him to win the entire science fair."

"I believe Cole just really enjoys science." Connor explained as he and Hank left Cole's bedroom to let the little boy sleep in peace. "He has great enthusiasm and interest in the subject."

"Good to know. Think he'll win?"

"I believe he has the potential to win, yes. But I am not a judge."

"Earlier when you said you were going to go back to the precinct in six days, what made you decided it was time to come back?"

"...I just decided I needed to overcome my fears and resume my work as a detective. Just as you cannot shield Cole from every problem in this world, I can't hide from them forever. I need to face them. I need to prove that I can protect my people."

"You don't need to prove anything, Connor. You need to do things at your own pace when you're ready, not just because you think you need to go and push yourself to the next level because you believe being a detective holds you to a higher standard than every other deviant in the city. Got it?"

"...I got it."

"Good." Putting his hand to the back of Connor's head and over the hood that was still pulled up and hiding Connor's face Hank lightly rubbed his hand over Connor's hair. He wanted to pull the hood down to look Connor in the face directly, but didn't do it as it was important for Connor to feel comfortable enough to show his face on his own. "Help me with the dishes and we can watch the end of the game."

"Sounds good."

* * *

It was almost midnight when Hank had also fallen asleep, and the football game transitioned to a late night horror movie from the 1920's. It was silent film, one of the earliest recorded depictions of 'The Phantom of the Opera', and was considered a classic as it had withstood the tests of time for over a century now. Connor personally had no interest in the movie as he contemplated entering rest mode and made a move to get up from the couch to head upstairs to his bedroom.

"Goodnight, Hank." He whispered in a soft tone as he walked around the side of the couch without disturbing Hank in the process. "I'll see you in the morning."

Cybernetically he went to turn off the television, but the depiction of the monstrous character in the old black and white film suddenly held his attention as the story's heroine pulled away the monster's mask, revealing his grotesquely malformed face, and she screamed in silent fear. The image and very idea of a person being so horribly scared and deformed made Connor's Thirium pump stutter in his chest for a few seconds as his fingertips pressed to the side of his face where his artificial skin had been cut away.

Suddenly afraid Connor rushed into the ground floor bathroom and stared at his hooded face in the mirror over the sink. Pulling back the thick fabric of the hoodie Connor stared at his face and pressed his fingertips along the healed and regenerated artificial skin to check for any and all scars, deformities or signs of lingering damage.

As his right fingertips pressed down against his skin and the plastimetal frame beneath Connor could feel and hear his Thirium pump, his heart, beating at a faster and louder rhythm that was making his whole body tremble as his blue blood surged through his lines rapidly. Putting his left hand against the surface of the mirror Connor took in fast, panicking breaths causing him to hyperventilate, and and in his fear he smashed his hand against the mirror causing a searing pain through his palm as the large shards of sharp glass penetrated Connor's hand, cutting through fine Thirium lines and gouging through the plastimetal frame.

In his pain and sense of dread Connor fell backward from the mirror onto the floor, his back hitting the side of the bathtub with a painful 'thud' sound as he collapsed in a growing puddle of his own blue blood. Breathing frantically and fighting to hold back his sobs Connor stared at the glass in his shaking hand for only a moment before he buried his face in his palms out of a crippling fear that had left him laying helpless on the floor in emotional turmoil.

Two quick knocks on the bathroom door went unanswered as Hank spoke through the wooden barrier to the deviant inside. "Cole? Connor? What happened?" Knocking again Hank tested the doorknob and pushed the door open as soon as he realized it wasn't locked. The door swung open quickly and Hank looked down at the floor to see Connor sitting on the floor with blood all over his hands and his face. "Connor?!" Dropping to his knees down in front of Connor the always protective father grabbed onto Connor's forearms and tried to pull the deviant's hands down from his face. "Connor? Connor, what's wrong? What's going on?"

All Connor could do was whimper and hyperventilate rather than answer verbally.

Hank glanced about and saw the broken mirror, glass shards were all over the sink and the floor around it, and more alarming were the shards sticking in Connor's left hand. Softening his voice Hank spoke the deviant's name a few more times to try to get an answer, but received nothing. Very gently he pulled on Connor's arms to pull his hands down from his face and kept trying to get him to speak.

"Connor? Connor, talk to me. I'm right here with you, son." The deviant was still hyperventilating and shaking with fear. "Connor, slow your breathing."

Too shaken to respond Connor continued to breathe rapidly and kept his hands pressed to his face.

"Connor," wrapping his arms around the deviant Hank pulled Connor in for a hug and could feel how fast Connor's heart was beating as his chest was pressed up against his own. The thundering heart and frantic breathing were all signs of a panic attack and Hank knew just what to do. "Connor, it's okay. Slow your breathing and match with my own." Pressing his hand to the back of Connor's head Hank pulled the deviant in closer until Connor was resting right against his broad shoulder. "You can feel how slow I'm breathing, right? Just match me and you'll be okay."

Connor continued to hyperventilate and weep in painful sobs even as Han began to slowly rock back and forth and rub his hand along Connor's back in a surprisingly comforting manner.

"Easy, it's okay." Lowering his voice until almost a whisper Hank breathed slowly and deeply to try to encourage Connor to do the same. "In and out. One slow breath in," he took in a deep breath and held it for a few seconds; the lack of motion allowing him to feel just how rapid Connor's heartbeat had become. "and slow breath out. Breathe in." Repeating his actions Hank could feel that Connor was trying to slow his breathing to match his own. "Breathe out..."

Without realizing what he was doing Connor began to slow his breathing until he matched Hank's own breaths, and in turn his sobbing became to calm and his heart was no longer thundering in his chest, although it was still racing.

"Just like that, good." Hank continued to calm the deviant and hold onto him as Connor overcame his panic attack. "Just like that. You're okay, Connor. Breathe in and breathe out."

Sitting back a little and out of Hank's arms Connor lowered his hands from his face and stared at the damage to his left hand, comparing it to the flawless albeit blood stained right hand beside it.

"Connor? I'm not bad about the mirror anything, okay?" Reaching up to the sink Hank turned on the faucet and began picking the shards of broken mirror to be thrown into the nearby trashcan to prevent further injury. "I just want to know what happened."

"...I...I panicked."

"That I can see. Can you tell me why you panicked?"

"...My face."

"Your face?" Putting a washcloth under the running water Hank watched as Connor stayed on the floor still shaking slightly. Wringing out the excess water Hank turned off the faucet and knelt down in front of Connor again and curiously looked at the deviant's face under the hood. "What's wrong with your face?"

"...Scars."

"What scars?" The confusion in Hank's question was sincere, as was the gaze in his eyes as he tried to use the washcloth to wash the blood from Connor's injured hand. "All I see is Thirium."

Connor's focus lifted up from his palms to look Hank directly in the eyes as he let the senior detective to remove the Thirium from his hands, and inspect the accidentally self-inflicted damage to his palm. "...I'm not... disfigured?"

"No, son. You look the same as you always have." Very carefully he bent Connor's fingers back to open up the deviant's palm fully and began to remove the glass from Connor's hand without hurting him or causing more damage. "Why are you freaking out over scars that aren't even there?"

"...You don't see them?"

"Son, there's nothing on your face." He looked at the blue smeared over his Connor's eyes and cheeks and gave the deviant a tilt of the head. "Well, except for all the Thirium stains."

"...I'm not... I'm not scarred or deformed?"

"No, Connor. You're physically fine. What're you seeing is all in your head because you're still dealing with what had happened to you."

With a trembling hand Connor pressed his fingertips to his face again as if needing to check to see what Hank was saying was really true.

"Stand up." Pulling on Connor's arms just above the elbows Hank pulled the scared deviant up to his feet and helped him to walk over to the sink. With a father's touch Hank wiped the washcloth over Connor's face to remove the lingering Thirium from around his eyes and cheeks and encouraged him to look at his face in the remaining fragments of the mirror still in the frame of the medicine cabinet. "Look. There's nothing wrong with your face. No scars, no damage, no deformities. You're still you and look exactly as you did the day we met."

"...I do?"

"Yes, Connor. I wouldn't lie to you, EVER. You're fine."

Glancing up at a broken fragment of the mirror still large enough to show his face and he stared at his own facade with teary brown eyes. Returning his right fingertips to his face Connor watched as his touch met undamaged artificial skin and felt nothing amiss.

"See?" Hank held Connor's left hand under the faucet to wash off the rest of the blue blood and remove the remaining mirror fragments from his wounded palm. The injury wasn't too deep and would heal on its own without needing technical assistance. "You're okay, son. You just need a little more time to get over what happened to you."

"...How long will it take?"

"Wish I knew for sure." The honesty in Hank's voice was still evident even in the secondary timeline, and that alone was helping Connor to feel grounded and safe. "Maybe talking to someone will help."

"...I don't want to go to New Jericho Tower like this, or see the precinct psychiatrist." His voice was cracking a little with emotion. "It's... I don't know how to describe it."

"Embarrassing?"

"...Yeah. I guess that would be the apt description." The logical part of his mind told him it was normal to speak to someone whenever someone, human or deviant, needed help; but his emotional part of his mind told him to hide and deny what happened to him had even happened. "...Is that foolish?"

"No. It's a pretty common reaction to the idea of talking to a 'shrink'." Turning off the faucet Hank carefully dried off Connor's palm and then reached for the android first aid kit under the sink to wrap up Connor's hand to keep the wound clean. "You don't have to talk to anyone if you don't want to, but it can help. You can also just talk to me about these things, too, son. I'm your father, not just your partner or your friend. So you can tell me anything that's on your mind."

Connor shook his head a little and took in a shuddering breath as he watched Hank wrap up his hand and take care of his injury. "...C-Can we talk now?"

"Yeah, come on."

Wrapping his arm around Connor's shoulder Hank guided the deviant out of the bathroom and into the livingroom so they could sit on the couch and talk. As the two detectives sat down on the furniture Sumo got up from his pillow in the corner he put his chin down on Connor's knee and let out a sympathetic whimper as he gave the deviant a single wag of his tail.

Letting out a single shaking breath Connor bowed his head forward and didn't resist when Hank pulled him over for a half-hug. Tears began to roll down his face and fall to the floor in steady, large drips.

"It's okay to still be afraid, son. Tell me what happened."

_**...next chapter...** _


	6. Renewed

Exhausted and nursing a cup of coffee Hank finished making Cole's breakfast and put it down on the kitchen table as he listened to the younger boy walking around upstairs to get ready for school. Having stayed up until almost three in the morning with Connor and helping the shaken, traumatized deviant talk about the torture he had endured only made the detective all the more tried. Hearing Connor's story, hearing every detail the deviant was willing to recount regarding the sick experiments that Zlatko performed against helpless deviants, and of how close Connor came to his death made Hank heart ache. Holding in his own tears for the sake of being a rock for Connor to lean against as he opened up about his horrible experience.

Rubbing his hand over his eyes Hank barely noticed Cole walking into the kitchen until his youngest son pulled back his chair to sit down behind his plate of fluffy warm pancakes. "Hey, dad?" Cole picked up his fork and poked at the plate with mild disinterest. "What happened to the mirror in the bathroom?"

"...It broke last night." Hank decided there was no reason to bring up Connor at that moment. "It'll be replaced this afternoon."

"Is Connor okay?"

"Huh?" Giving Cole his full attention Hank tried to figure out what Cole was referring to. "What do you mean?"

"He's still asleep and his hand's all wrapped up."

"He had a rough night, son. He cut his hand on the broken mirror, and he just had a bad memory bother him."

"Was it because of what that one guy did to him?"

"Yeah. He's still shaken up by it."

"Is that why he cries at night?"

"...What do you mean?"

"I can hear Connor crying sometimes at night." Still fussing with his breakfast Cole's voice dipped as if he just gave away a very important secret. "I didn't know if that was something you already knew or not."

"No, I didn't know that."

"...Oh."

"It's okay, Cole. I'm glad I know that now." Taking another sip of his coffee Hank sighed and glanced at the staircase leading to the second floor of the house where Connor was still sleeping. "I guess he's been having more nightmares than he wanted to admit."

"Is he going to be okay?"

"He'll be fine."

"...Dad, he's been acting a little weird ever since he came back from New Jericho."

"So you noticed, huh?"

"What happened out there?"

"...He was working on a case, worked too hard and got sick. When it comes to androids," he lied quickly without insulting Cole's intelligence all the while preserving Connor's secret life in the alternate timeline. "overheating, or getting high fevers, can mess with their memories and sometimes their emotions since androids weren't supposed to have emotions to begin with."

"Will he be like this forever?"

"Not a chance. Remember how he was when he first started living here with us? And remember how after a few weeks he became more comfortable with us and started acting more human? We're just going through that phase again."

"Does that mean if he gets sick again we're going to have to keep going through that kind of stuff?"

"I doubt it, son. He was really sick with a really high fever."

"...Okay."

"Hey, try not to worry about him. Connor's going to be just fine and I know he'll be there for you during your science fair."

"You'll be there, too, right?"

"Yup. We'll both be there. Now, finish your breakfast."

Cole only nodded as he continued to eat his pancakes and Hank tried to think of a way to help Connor without embarrassing the deviant, or drawing too much attention to his seemingly peculiar behavior. As soon as Cole finished his breakfast Hank heard the carpool pull up out front and he got up from the table.

"Alright, son. Have a good day at school and we'll finish off your project tonight so you can work on your display board. Cool?"

"Cool." Grabbing his backpack from the end of the couch with prosthetic hand Cole activated the artificial skin and slung the heavy pack over his shoulder as he opened the front door. "Bye dad!"

"See ya'." Getting up from the table Hank walked through the livingroom and up the staircase to check on Connor as the deviant slept. Pushing open Connor's only partially shut door so he could peer inside Hank smirked at the sight of Sumo cuddled up to Connor's chest as the deviant laid on his side and had his arm wrapped around Sumo's shoulders like a toddle clutching a teddy bear. "Good dog, Sumo."

Stepping into the bedroom quietly Hank put his hand on Connor's shoulder and held his palm there as the deviant's eyes slowly open.

"Sorry, son. I didn't mean to wake you up."

"...It's okay."

"How do you feel?"

"...Oddly better."

"See? Talking helps."

"Yes. You were correct." Lifting his head up from the pillow Connor used his arm and pushed the rest of his body up so he could sit upright on the bed and face Hank more directly. "...Aren't you going to be late to work?"

"Nope. Day off. Tomorrow I won't be able to stick around so long, but today I can do what I want."

"...Cole?"

"Went to school."

"Oh."

"Are you sick again?" Pressing his palm against Connor's forehead, the hoodie still pulled up and hiding Connor's face even as the deviant slept, Hank checked for any sign of overheating. Connor's artificial skin felt normal, and the deviant wasn't showing any other sign of distress. "No fever."

"...I had chosen to lock up the memories I had with Zlatko in an isolated file to prevent my nightmares from returning, and as a means of moving forward. The end result has apparently affected my sense of time."

"Is that healthy?"

"It can't be any worse than chronic nightmares or paranoid delusions."

"You're not paranoid, kid. You're just dealing with stress." Sitting down beside Connor on the bed Hank ran his hand down Sumo's back and did his best to help Connor remain at ease. "Think you're still ready to go back to the precinct at the end of the week?"

"...Yes. I need to move on."

"Connor, let me ask you something." Somewhat hesitatingly Hank gave the deviant a somber glance. "With this timeline compared to the old one, were you always so afraid of being defected out, or replaced?"

"...Yes. CyberLife... They made it known that I was completely expendable. You helped me to understand that I am not a piece of equipment, that I am in fact alive. Now I'm afraid of... dying."

"Don't be, son. The moment you start obsessing over death you'll forget to live." Putting his hand on Connor's shoulder Hank gave the deviant a sense of grounding and safety. "You taught me that."

"...I did?"

"Yup. When you went to CyberLife Tower to free the androids and help the Revolution I realized that by trying to hide Cole away from the world wasn't going to keep him safe from death. But changing the world, changing things so Cole could keep living a normal life and not fearing any possible limitations that might come his way after his losing his arm, that's how I can help my son and let him live."

Connor's shoulder slouched a little as tension left his being and was replaced with a sense of relief. "...I'm glad I could help."

"How about today you and me go to New Jericho Tower and you chat with Markus. Help the other Zlatko victims get justice and a sense of peace before you lock up all those memories permanently?"

"...That's a good idea."

"And then after that we can make a stop and make sure Cole's prize is going to be ready for him."

"But the science fair isn't for another five days."

"I know that, and I know that Cole's going to get an 'A', which is all he needs. As his father I'm going to keep my word and let him have what he's earned."

"That's very reassuring to here."

"Come on." With a final pat to Connor's shoulder Hank stood up from the bed and motioned for the deviant to follow after him. "The sooner we get things taken care of the sooner you can get those shitty memories out of your head."

"You're right. If I-" Pausing for a moment Connor put his fingertips to right temple where his L.E.D. had once been, and gave Hank a sly grin. "That's something good to know."

"What's up?" Hank's phone buzzed in his pocket and he quickly fished it out to examine the screen.

"Tina had her baby."

Hank smirked at the screen showing Tina holding her newborn daughter in her arms. "Look at that. She's beautiful."

"...Perhaps we can stop by the hospital to visit her and give her flowers?"

"Yeah, kid. That's a great idea."

* * *

The rest of the week progressed without any further nightmares or disturbing thoughts, and Connor was able to help Cole finish his project and had regained enough confidence to go out in public for a limited time when absolutely necessary. Sumo's daily walks had helped, as did the errands he ran with Hank or whenever he and Cole needed to stop by the store for more supplies. The day of the science fair was going to be an interesting test as Connor had to remain in a large school with hundreds of people surrounding him, but only two people; Hank and Cole, being people he felt comfortable with.

"Do you have everything you need?" Connor asked as he and Cole worked together to get his project out of its protect plastic tote and set up at the designated table in the school's gymnasium. The display was impressive and stood out against the neighboring baking soda volcano, and the scale model of the solar system. "I don't detect any leaks in the Thirium lines or instability in the circuit boards."

"Everything looks okay, but..."

"But what?" Brow furrowed Connor peered at Cole under his hood and watched as the little boy nervously wrapped his right around his left arm right at the elbow. He was kneeling down behind the table and reconnecting everything appropriately to ensure the display worked properly just as it had back at home in the basement. "Is something wrong?"

"...My arm feels funny."

"Funny how?"

"It's like it's heavy and my hand won't open and close when I want it to."

"Let me see." Reaching out his hand Connor took hold of Cole's forearm and held it gently. Retracting the artificial skin from his hand Connor instructed the little boy to do the same. "Retract the artificial skin from your arm, please."

Cole pressed a small button on the prosthetic hidden from sight under the layer of artificial skin, and without fear or embarrassment watched as Connor ran a scan over his prosthetic limb to perform a quick diagnosis.

"The Thirium reserve in your prosthetic has gotten fairly low." Connor confirmed as he stood upright and but held onto Cole's arm. "When was the last time you added more Thirium to your arm?"

"...I don't know."

"Yes you do. I'm not mad, Cole. I just need to know when you last replenished Thirium in your arm."

"Two months ago."

"Two months? You're supposed to replace is every two weeks to prevent this problem."

"...Sorry."

"It's okay." Glancing at the set up project and display on the table beside them Connor let Cole's arm go and gave the little boy a casual shrug of his shoulders to show he wasn't upset. "You were distracted."

"What can I do to fix my arm?"

"You need fresh Thirium. I don't have any on my person, but there is some in the trunk of the car."

"I can't go outside once I'm in the gym. It's part of the rules to stop possible cheating."

"That seems like a very misinformed rule. If anyone were trying to cheat they'd bring their required supplies with them into the competition to avoid suspicion."

"Maybe dad can bring some before he comes inside the school."

"Unfortunately, he won't be here for approximately two hours, eighteen minutes and twenty-seven seconds."

"That long? Why?"

Connor didn't want to give away the surprise that Hank had been planning for Cole, and instead came up with a plausible excuse. "He wanted to drop off extra gifts for Tina and her baby at her apartment. But I know of something that can be done to help your arm."

"What's that?"

"Share." Flexing his still exposed hand Connor gave Cole a quick nod and motioned for him to walk over to the bleachers against the far wall of the gym for a moment. "I can give you Thirium from my own arm to replenish what you need."

"What about you?"

"I can drink Thirium when we're back home." Sitting down on the bleacher with Cole right beside him Connor unzipped his hoodie and pulled his left arm free of the sleeve, and then unbutton the cuff around his wrist as he rolled up the sleeve of his dressy navy blue shirt he chose to wear to look nice during the special occasion. "I'm going to connect an emergency reserve line from my arm to your arm, okay?"

"Will it hurt?"

"...No. It won't harm either of us."

Cole nodded a little as he extended his exposed prosthetic arm toward Connor and watched as the deviant turned his own forearm so the limp was resting atop his leg with his palming facing upward. Sliding open a panel that extended from the base of his wrist down to his elbow Connor sealed off the main line running down his arm then detached one end from its housing coupling to hold between his opposite hand's index finger and thumb.

"This won't hurt and it'll only take a moment." Opening up the same panel in Cole's arm Connor located the main line that circulates the Thirium through the prosthetic, and connected that line to the main line in his own arm. With the two lines now connected Connor flexed his hand a few times to coax the Thirium into flowing from his arm and into Cole's arm. "I'll be able to detect when your prosthetic's reserves are back to one-hundred percent."

Watching with fascinating as the blue blood flowed from Connor's arm and into his own Cole just laughed and gave Connor an amused look. "I guess this officially makes us brothers now."

"Huh?"

"We have the same blood as each other."

"...Yeah." The innocent and sweet comment made Connor smile as he scanned Cole's prosthetic arm and confirmed that the reserve was ticking up one percentage at a time. "We're blood brothers."

It took only a minute for Connor to transfer the needed Thirium from his arm into Cole's arm, and just as easily as he connected the two lines Connor disconnected the lines and closed up the panels in their arms.

"Flex your fingers for me, Cole." Rolling his sleeve back down Connor refastened his cuff and watched as Cole easily flexed his fingers, his hand and rolled his wrist without any limitations. Running a scan Connor saw that the prosthetic limb was functioning at one-hundred percent capacity. "Problem solved."

"Thanks." Regenerating his artificial skin over his arm Cole climbed down from the bleachers and went back to his project to finish setting up the display.

Following after Cole just a few feet behind Connor watched as the other students and their own parents also set up the projects and displays with a familial pride in their eyes. It was something that made Connor feel less like an outsider and more like someone who belonged in attendance for the big day.

"Check it out!" Cole excited called over Connor as he turned on the device and watched the mini Thirium pump, one that was intentionally designed to mirror the every structure and chamber of the human heart, began to pump on its own and hold a consistent beat. "It still works! Nothing broke on the way to the school!"

"I knew it wouldn't." The deviant replied confidently as he watched Cole admire his handiwork. "You did very well in its overall construction."

From behind Connor the two brothers heard Hank's voice respond with his own opinion on the matter. "You worked harder on this project than any of your other homework assignments all year long. It looks great, Cole."

"Thanks, dad."

"How long until the judges come around?" Putting his hand on Cole's head he lightly rusted up his youngest son's hair under his palm. "I want to see you win the fair."

"Maybe an hour. It might get boring, so you don't have to wait around."

"Well, the point of a science fair is to check out everyone's project not just one. Why don't you finish up your display and we'll walk around and check out what everyone else made?"

Cole looked back at his display board with a worried glance. "...I don't want to leave this alone. Some people are really mean toward androids still."

"Oh."

Connor tilted his head a little as he stepped a little closer to the table with Cole's project. "I'll remain here and ensure no one touches your work."

"...You're sure?"

"Yes. I'll walk around after you return to your display."

"Right, thanks Connor."

While Cole and Hank walked around the gym to look at the other projects Connor remained by Cole's display and took in every detail that the little boy had included with his project, and was proud of how hard Cole had worked to do his absolute best. As he admired the work Connor felt someone walking up beside him and he turned his head quickly.

"Hello. I'm Miss Fox, Cole's teacher." The young woman was in her mid twenties with honey blonde hair and vibrant blue eyes. Her slim build made her a little taller than average but she still had to look up slightly to lock eyes with Connor as she spoke with him. "You must be Connor."

"...Yes, that's correct. How did you know?"

"You look like him, it's easy to see you're brothers."

"O-Oh." Turning away from Miss Fox so she couldn't see the pale blue blush on his face Connor just glanced over Cole's project again.

"It's so nice to see such a supportive family."

"...Yes. Cole worked very hard and I wanted to be here to show my support."

"He talks about you all the time. I know you're an android, so you don't have to shy away from me."

Connor looked back at her with an inquisitive brow arched as he studied her face closely. "...Yet you claim he and I look similar."

"Families aren't always connected by blood," she explained as Connor looked down at his arm and remembered what Cole had told him only a few minutes earlier. "even adopted family members can began to resemble one another. It's love that helps bring a family closer together, not genetics."

"...Of course."

"You don't have to hide your face under that hood. Due to the competitive nature of this project we have school security around to ensure no one tries to sabotage a student's work, or start fights with another parent."

"I'm aware, but I'm wearing this for a more personal reason."

"Oh, I'm sorry. I didn't mean to pry."

"You didn't, apologies aren't necessary." Changing the subject quickly Connor watched over Miss Fox's shoulder as Cole and Hank walked around checking the other displays and spoke to other people. "May I ask when the judging will begin?"

"Soon. Right now the judges and teachers are reading over the student reports and validating their work with the provided photographs and recordings."

"I see."

"Be patient, I know you're proud of Cole's work and want to see him him succeed."

"Yes. Cole did exceptionally well for a student of his age range."

"Can I ask you one question about his project?"

"Yes. What do you wish to know?"

"What made him choose this subject matter? Most kids build small models or use generic chemistry sets when they pick their project. Cole, he went above and beyond with his choice."

"...To be honest I don't know what made him decide to build the miniature Thirium pump. I just know he was determined to succeed in his project."

"Well, maybe Cole can tell us himself after the fair."

"Maybe." Connor looked back at the small Thirium pump beating on the display, and he ran another scan over the device curiously. He truly hadn't questioned why Cole wanted to build the pump, but he was more than happy to help him out. "...I'd like to know myself."

* * *

The science fair continued on without any drama as the judges visited each display one by one and spoke to the students as they explained their projects and how they constructed their displays. The parents and other family members in attendance had gathered in the bleachers against the wall and waited for the winners to be announced in turn.

"You still doing okay?" Hank asked in a low voice as Connor sat beside him and nervously danced his quarter over the back of his right hand to quell his mounting anxiety. "You seem anxious."

"I'm fine." Keeping his eyes forward Connor watched the judges with great intrigue. "I'm merely reading the judges lips."

"This crowd isn't bothering you?"

"...As of the moment, no."

"Good. I'm glad to hear it."

"Were you able to take care of things before you came to the school?"

"Yup. Everything's ready at the house."

"And Sumo?"

"I fed him to help distract him, not that the gentle giant would do much anyway."

"True enough."

There was a shrill sound from the loudspeakers throughout the gym and Connor flinched a little as his enhanced hearing made the sound all the more intense for him. Pocketing his coin Connor and Hank watched as the principal went ahead and announced the pride she had in the participating students and their families, and announced the third, second and first place winners. When Cole's name was announced for first place Hank couldn't stop himself from beaming an eternally proud smile while Connor finally grinned a little.

Watching Cole get a gold medal draped around his neck was one of the highlights of Connor's short life as he could see the best of humanity when it came to encouraging children to pursue their passions, and strive to improve the world around them.

"Cole, I'm so proud of you." Hank met his youngest son by his project with Connor right beside him. "Not only did you get an 'A', but you won the whole da- _darn_ thing."

"Thanks, dad." Cole looked over at Connor and gave him a proud grin of his own. "Thanks for all your help, Connor."

Feeling the same sense of pride as both Hank and Cole were in that moment Connor finally reached up and pulled down the hood to show his face for the first time in over a month since he had been assaulted. Just like Hank said there were no scars or deformities on the deviant's face, and Connor looked like the same kindhearted, compassionate android he had always been.

"You deserved to win, Cole." The deviant replied with a sincere smile on his face. "You did all of the work, I merely observed and confirmed your research. I'm proud of you as well."

Cole beamed and ran his fingertips over the gold medal resting against his chest. "...So, I get that special reward, right?"

"Yeah, son." Hank laughed a little as he returned his hand to Cole's hair. "Let's get your project packed up and we'll head home and get everything taken care of, okay?"

"YES!"

With great ease Connor turned off the pump and packed up the delicate work back into the storage tote beneath the table to carry out of the gym as Cole and Hank spoke with Miss Fox and the principal. Seeing the small pump turned off was a little sad, and so Connor decided when they got home they'd find a place to put up the pump and keep it on for as long as possible until the power burned out, or something on the pump gave way.

"Cole made a small heart, it should beat as long as possible."

* * *

Returning to the house after getting some celebratory ice cream, the city had opened up an ice cream shop that included a special Thirium blend for androids so everyone could enjoy it, Cole ran out of the car and toward the front door of the house excitedly. Hank followed after Cole with the key to the front door in his hand while Connor followed carrying Cole's project in his arms, and perfectly showed a poker face as the father figure opened the door to let the family inside.

"When can I go and get my reward?" Cole asked energetically as everyone entered the livingroom and tried to unwind after the eventful day. "Can we go tomorrow?!"

"We could do that, or..." Hank walked down the short hallway and toward the bathroom to open up the door. As he did a small beagle mix puppy trotted out of the bathroom with its tail wagging a little as it sniffed Hank's leg, then made its way into the livingroom. "you can have him now."

Cole's eyes lit up as he dropped off the couch and happily picked up the puppy to hold in his arms. The small beagle wagged his tail more and began licking the side of Cole's face. "Thanks, dad!"

Connor smirked at the little puppy and placed the tote down on the kitchen table as he opened the backdoor to let Sumo inside. Taking hold of the massive dog's collar Connor guided Sumo into the livingroom and watched as the massive dog sniffed noses with the puppy and began wagging his tail, too.

"It seems Sumo will get along just fine with this new puppy." Connor rubbed Sumo's ears then did the same for the puppy. "What're are you going to call him?"

Looking at the small puppy in comparison to Sumo's size Cole gave Connor an amused look as he chose the puppy's name. "How about Judo?"

Hank just laughed at the comment and sat down on the couch as Cole climbed up on the furniture to bond with his new puppy. "I like it."

Sitting down on the other side of Cole on the couch Connor lightly ran his hand down Judo's back and rubbed his other hand over Sumo's ears as the large dog sat on the floor beside Cole to look at the puppy in the little boy's arms.

"You'll have the whole day to play with Judo tomorrow, Cole." Hank reminded his son with a proud smile. "Don't let him make a mess, alright?"

"You mean I get to be home alone tomorrow?"

"Yup. Connor and I both have shorter shifts tomorrow, so I think you can handle six hours alone. Right?"

"Yeah! No problem!"

Connor suddenly seemed to remember that he was going back to the precinct tomorrow, but rather than fear or dread he felt a strange sense of anxiety and excitement. He was no longer afraid to go back and show his face, he was ready to move on and found a renewed sense of confidence with his family showing nothing but support and love toward one another.

"You'll be fine, Cole. You're a smart kid."

* * *

Resuming his usual morning routine as if nothing happened Connor changed into his usual work uniform and tightened the knot on his tie and straightened out the dressy garment over the front of his white dress shirt. Running his hand over his hair and then down the side of his face Connor stared at his reflection in the full body mirror inside his closet, and was relieved to not see the imaginary scars or deformities he had seen a few nights before. It was like the horrible night never even happened.

Stepping out of his bedroom Connor peered inside Cole's bedroom across from his own and saw that the little boy was still asleep and had Judo all cuddled up next to his chest. Sumo had slept on the foot of Connor's bed and was sticking close to the deviant either out of loyalty and knowing that Connor was only just beginning to feel better, or Sumo was a tad jealous of all the attention Judo was getting.

"You take care of Cole today, okay, Sumo?" Connor rubbed Sumo's ears as the massive dog stood beside him in the middle of the hallway as Connor stared in through Cole's opened doorway. "We'll be back soon, but Cole still needs someone to protect him for a few hours."

Sumo seemed to understand and proceeded to walk into Cole's room to sit beside the bed and watch the little boy and small puppy still sleeping in the bed.

"Good boy."

Quietly Connor walked down the staircase and decided to make breakfast for both Hank and Cole as he hadn't done so in several weeks, and found that he still enjoyed the act of cooking as an art form, and as a science. Deciding on French toast Connor expertly whipped up a batch with a personal recipe he had memorized and perfected, and then brewed a fresh pot of coffee.

"Shit, I thought I heard you down here." Hank remarked with a sleepy yawn as he ran his hand through his gray hair. Eyeing the breakfast that the deviant had laid out for Cole and himself Hank just gave Connor an appreciative grin. "Glad to see you acting like yourself again, son."

"I'm glad that I _feel_ like myself again."

"No more nightmares?"

"I haven't had one in a full week."

"Let's keep it that way."

"I will do my best."

From the staircase Connor heard Cole walking down the stairs and could hear Sumo plodding after him. Cole put Judo down on the floor and ran into the kitchen, and sure enough Judo raced after Cole as quickly as his little legs could carry him. As soon as the little puppy's paws hit the linoleum floor of the kitchen he slipped a little and came to a crashing stop against the side of Connor's foot.

Connor looked down at Judo, ran a scan, and then bent down to rub the puppy's ears. "It seems Judo needs to learn how to run properly over a hardwood floor in comparison to carpeted floors."

Cole laughed as he picked up Judo and carried the puppy over to where Sumo's bowls were sitting and pulled down Judo's smaller bowls from the shelf in the pantry where the dog and puppy chow were located. "Have something to eat, Judo. You too, Sumo."

Hank and Connor didn't say anything, only observed, as Cole took care of Judo and then poured some food into Sumo's bowl, too. The little boy was showing great maturity and responsibility for a ten year old, and it made Hank all the more confident that Cole could handle being home alone for six hours that day.

"Come and eat your own breakfast, son. Connor made us French toast."

"Alright!"

Connor was happy to see that everything in the household was calm, routine and seemed to be progressing without any problems. As Hank and Cole finished their breakfast the two dogs did the same for themselves and were getting to know one another by sniffing noses and by Sumo laying down so Judo could playfully climb around on the massive dog's back.

"You haven't lost your touch, Connor." Hank complimented the deviant's cooking as he cleared off the table and filled up his mug with the fresh coffee. After taking a sip Hank used the mug to motion toward the hallway before he finished off the caffeinated drink and put the now empty mug down in the sink. "I'll go shower off and we can head out."

"Alright, I'll be ready."

"You already are, kid."

Cole resumed playing with Judo and Sumo on the floor of the kitchen while Connor focused on the dishes in the sink. "What are you going to do with your mini Thirium pump now that the science fair is over?"

"I want to set it up on my bookcase next to the medal. I have to keep it safe in case I get to participate in state or regional."

"That's a good idea."

"I'll wash the dishes." Cole suddenly volunteered as he stood up from the floor walked over to the sink. "You and dad need to go to work, I'll wash these."

"...Thank you, Cole." Backing away from the sink Connor watched as Cole easily began cleaning off the plates, cups and silverware with a soapy sponge and warm water as if the chore wasn't anything to be annoyed with. "I appreciate your help."

* * *

After Cole was instructed to keep the front door, backdoor and garage door of the house locked up, and to not answer the door for anyone or answer his emergency phone unless it was Hank or Connor the two detectives returned to the precinct together for the first time in almost six weeks. In that time Hank had been working solo cases at his terminal, or would go on patrol with Chris every few hours. With Connor back at the precinct the two detectives would be able to resume their usual routine of sifting through deviant cases, and help bring about equality and peace through the city.

The deviant was greeted warmly by the bullpen as he returned to his desk and clocked in at his terminal. In doing so he caught a glimpse of Captain Fowler through the transparent wall of his office and was promptly waved over to speak with his commanding officer in private.

"Anything good pop up overnight?" Hank called out to Chris as he sat down behind his desk and clocked into his terminal as well.

"Nothing out of the ordinary with androids, Lieutenant."

"...But?" Hank could sense that Chris was holding back something interesting. "Something did happen, right?"

"Yeah. We're still looking into it but it looks like someone was tampering in the evidence room last night, but it looks like nothing was stolen."

"Any suspects?"

"Not yet. The cameras leading to the corridor were knocked out, and the locks to the evidence room were hacked."

"Sounds like an android to me."

"That's what we thought, too." The younger officer admitted as he leaned forward against his desk top while giving the gruff detective a curious glance. "The only android with enough clearance to get to the evidence room is Connor, and we all know that he wasn't anywhere near the precinct for the past six, almost seven weeks."

"Weird."

"The details are available in your terminal if you want to take a look. We're stumped already."

"Alright, we'll take a look at it." Bringing up the proper file Hank gave it a once over and eyed the limited details curiously. "I'm sure Connor can figure that shit out if we can't."

Dragging his hand over his bearded chin Hank pressed 'Play' on the very limited security footage that cut-out its feed just a few seconds before the evidence room had been broken into, and watched the footage as the feed had been restored just seconds after the suspect left the building.

"Three in the morning, right when the bullpen would be mostly empty and everyone distracted by the graveyard shift change. Smart."

Connor returned to his terminal and sat down in the chair behind his desk with a stern focus in his eyes. "Captain Fowler has fully reinstated my privileges as a detective. No restrictions."

"Good to hear. So you're ready to work on cases again, and not just show up and turn in reports, right?"

"Yes. Why do you ask?"

"I just wanted to make sure. Your deviancy hasn't exactly been an easy one, and even after a year you've been pretty worked up for the past couple months. Nothing's bothering you? No doubts or second guessing?"

"I assure you I'm fine." Connor thought about the question for a moment and compared Hank's much healthier mindset in this timeline compared the other timeline in which he had initially met him. Having Cole's life continue on was nothing but a positive change, and one Connor wouldn't dare to even try to undo for any reason. "The differences between these two timelines in which I'm affiliated have been for the better."

"...And even dealing with your, uh, 'alternate memories' you're okay?"

Connor was quiet for a moment as his mouth twitched a little and his soulful brown eyes look up at Hank with a sense of loss. "...I will admit that the extreme contrast between the two lifetimes to which I have become accustomed has been a difficult transition, but I have confidence that my decisions here can, and will, be as impactful and meaningful here as they were there."

"Aside from the few differences we discussed was there anything else you wanted to tell me?"

"...At the moment, no. The only moment of real significance revolves around us locating my successor in the depths of New Jericho Tower, and having to physically detain it, and deactivate it to due to it's hostile nature. It was deemed to be complete immune to deviancy by CyberLife."

"They said the same thing about you."

Blushing a pale blue Connor admitted that what Hank had said was indeed true. "Yes, that is correct."

"Where is your successor now?"

"I spoke with Markus regarding our two parallel timelines and he has confirmed that my successor, this 'RK-900', has remained deactivated and hasn't awoken despite numerous attempts to reboot it's intracranial processors in an attempt to alter the code and give it deviancy." Furrowing his brow a little Connor gave Hank a curious glance and slight shake of his head. "Why do you ask?"

"Last night there was a break-in with our own evidence room, and it looks like an android did it."

"...That doesn't make any logical sense."

"That's what the entire precinct says."

"Curious."

"What about other androids from your alternate timeline? Anybody bust into the precinct in that universe?"

"None."

"Alright," pointing at his terminal Hank waited for the deviant to take notice of the case of interest. "feast your eyes on your screen."

Connor's brow arched a little as he looked over the case file that Hank had sent over to his terminal screen to view. Taking only a few seconds to scan the entirety of the case file, memorize the collected photographs and limited recorded footage from the security camera, Connor too was perplexed by the break-in and give his rather astute though vague observation. "How unusual."

"Yup."

"No evidence had been taken or even tampered with, and yet the door to the evidence room had been physically tampered with and then forced open from what appears to be a blunt instrument. No fingerprints, no shoe shoe prints, no trace of a person beyond that of the officers given clearance had been located inside the room. Very peculiar."

"Wanna' check out the evidence room for more traces now that you're back and your scanner is available, again?"

"Yes, of course. That would be the best course of action."

"Cool." Turning off his terminal screen Hank stood up from his desk and froze as soon as Captain Fowler opened up his office door. It was as if Hank could feel his commanding officer's eyes watching him. "What's going on, Jeffrey?"

"I need a minute to talk with you." Captain Fowler confirmed in a calm voice. "My office."

"Yeah, I'm coming."

Connor just nodded as Hank walked toward the office as he turned off his terminal to begin his investigation. As soon as his hand retracted from his terminal screen the deviant hear a strangely small sound as he recognized a presence walking over in his direction. Turning his head Connor spotted Tina walking to her neighboring desk with her week old daughter swaddled in a purple blanket cradled in her arms, and a diaper bag slung over her left shoulder.

"Officer Chen." Connor nodded at the small baby in her arms and managed to give her a sincere smile. "Congratulations are in order."

"Thanks. I appreciate the flowers." She beamed as she walked over to the deviant so Connor could see her daughter up close. "And she appreciates all the extra diapers."

"That was Hank's idea."

"It was a good one." Gently she brushed back a small swatch of the purple blanket so Connor could see the newborn's face more clearly. "This is Arianna."

"She's beautiful."

"And fussy. I need to finish off some paperwork regarding my maternity leave and some of my department beneficiary agreements so she's included."

"You couldn't find a babysitter?"

"Actually I was driving back to my apartment after her wellness check-up and decided to multitask." As the the small newborn let out another noise and squirmed about gently Tina readjusted her arms to keep her daughter more comfortable. "I might need to come back later when she's less fussy or I can get someone to watch her."

"Wasn't Gavin helping?"

"Yeah, and I finally kicked him out of my apartment this morning because he insisted on staying over and helping me out with checking on her and trying to get her on a sleep schedule. He'll be in the evening."

"Interesting to hear."

"...I hate to ask, but could you hold her for a minute while I finish some work?"

"Why would you hate to ask?"

"A lot of people are kind of shy when it comes to holding newborn babies, and I know androids don't exactly get to spend a ton of time around babies to become more comfortable in the same way humans can."

"It's not a problem, Tina. I'd be happy to hold Arianna for a moment." Connor scanned the small baby and his held tilted a little to the side. "...But how do I do so without her becoming uncomfortable?"

"Sit down in your chair and I'll pass her over to you." Tina watched as the deviant detective did as he was instructed and lifted his arms to accept Arianna as Tina gently passed the newborn over to his protect grip. Arianna let out another small noise as she snuggled in against Connor's warm chest and let out a impressively big yawn for someone so small. "Just like that. You're a natural!"

Connor looked down at Arianna in his arms and gave the newborn a gentle grin. "I'm glad she isn't afraid of me."

"Why would she be afraid of you? You're one of the most gentle people I've ever met."

"...Thank you for saying that."

"I'll be back in a minute." Placing the diaper bag down on the floor beside Connor's foot Tina left the deviant to play babysitter for a few minutes. "Thanks again, Connor." Quickly Tina took her leave of the bullpen to get to the elevator that would take her up to the appropriate floor to get her paperwork updated. "Bye baby!"

Sitting quietly in his seat Connor watched with fascination as Arianna rested comfortably in Connor's arms and stared up at his face with curious big blue eyes.

"Hello, Arianna. It's nice to meet you."

"Who's your friend?" Hank asked in a low voice as he walked up behind Connor and peered down over his shoulder. "Wait a minute, this is Tina's daughter."

"Yes. Arianna."

"I knew she was beautiful." Walking around to the front of Connor's chair Hank looked down at the newborn and grinned. "Man, I remember when Cole used to be this small and fascinated by the world around him."

"It's very interesting to see how young, small and fragile humans are when they're first born."

"It's humbling, that's for damn sure. Hold on a second." Carefully Hank readjusted Connor's arms a little so Arianna's head was resting more against his bicep so she could see the bullpen a little more easily from where she was otherwise laying. "There, that's going be a little more comfortable. So where's Tina?"

"Taking care of paperwork upstairs." As if obeying an unspoken instinct Connor lightly pressed his hand over Arianna's tummy and let her grab onto his finger to hold tight. "I am watching Arianna until she's finished and can return to her apartment."

"Then we can go check out the evidence room for ourselves." Pulling his own chair around the side of the two desks Hank sat down and admired Arianna as she peacefully laid in Connor's arms and slowly moved her own arms about in an uncoordinated manner. "So, what do you think of babysitting compared to detective work?"

"I can confirm for certain that it's more pleasant to deal with life than death." The deviant found himself comparing the two timelines again and decided that since his actions had resulted in Cole surviving the accident, and now Tina having a daughter; granted the death of Tina's boyfriend being its own tragedy, that his choices were undoubtedly and unarguably correct. "And I find that having the chance to protect innocent life to be far more fulfilling than piecing together the final moments of a person's life."

"Except I know you love a good mystery, son. You'd get bored playing babysitter all day long."

"That's true I suppose. But having the chance to care for a child, as I do with Cole, has also been rather intriguing."

_**...next chapter...** _


	7. Darkness of the Past

The seemingly ironic investigation of the evidence room for any evidence of the person or android who had broken into the formerly secured room for reasons that were still unknown. As the two detectives worked together to examine every inch of the compromised room they found the same startling lack of evidence that the other investigating officers had found earlier that same morning. It was as if the culprit behind the break-in was a ghost, and they needed to find out who was haunting the precinct.

"Find anything?" Hank was watching Connor run a scan over the wall of the security wall of the evidence room that kept individual pieces of evidence protected, and separated from other case files in question. The wall itself had been seemingly forced open, but no evidence from any cases had seemingly gone missing or had been tampered with. "You've been staring at that same wall for almost an hour, now."

"...Fifty-seven minutes and four seconds to be exact."

"Uh-huh. So, did you find anything?"

"...Negative."

"Shit."

"None of the evidence that had been recently collected had been affected by the intruder." Connor remarked as he stepped away from the wall and scanned the access panel in the middle of the room. Only officers with a keycard, official registration and clearance, and a personal password could access the panel to examine evidence. "There are no fingerprints, hand prints or fibers on the panel. The last log-in was..." Checking the history with his own personal clearance level Connor confirmed the name. "It was Captain Fowler himself."

"And Jeffrey's about as clueless with technology as I am, so there's no way he could've hacked the doors, wall or cameras without messin' something up."

"Perhaps we can check the street surveillance cameras on either side of the block to look for a suspicious person either entering or exiting the precinct."

"Good call. Let's head up and I'll get the warrant to check the footage."

"I'll proceed with scanning the floors and hallway leading into and out of the evidence room as we walk." Staring down at the floor as he followed after Hank the dedicated deviant was determined to locate the suspect, and give them a name. "Something may have been initially overlooked."

"It can't hurt to look again."

Nodding subtly Connor began scanning the floor and noting the numerous distinct shoe prints and patterns of walking, and also noted the shoe prints as they entered and subsequently exited the room as expected. While making a record of the shoes prints and counting the steps Connor heard Hank not-so-discreetly clear his voice to get his attention without anyone else really noticing.

"Head's up. The feds are here to look into the break-in."

"...The F.B.I.?" Connor glanced up and recognized the unwelcome face of Agent Richard Perkins standing in the middle of the bullpen and talk with Captain Fowler. The overzealous agent had led the raid against Jericho and killed four-hundred and eighty-six deviants in the sinking freighter ship alone. Another one-thousand, eight-hundred and twelve were destroyed in the 'recycling plants' he had set up in the middle of Hart Plaza. "...How in the world was he given clearance to resume interacting with the police department in Detroit after the genocide he committed on the night of the Revolution?"

"I don't know, kid. Just keep out of sight and I'll make sure Fowler keeps that rat bastard away from us, and remind him that the disgusting weasel is a murderer."

Immediately feeling uncomfortable knowing that Perkins was in the building Connor stayed back by the evidence room to avoid dealing with the irredeemable F.B.I. agent directly. To Connor ,and all of the other deviants throughout the entire world, Perkins was a genocidal maniac and would forever be their most dreaded enemy.

Watching from a distance Connor saw Hank telling Perkins to back off while simultaneously asking for Captain Fowler to approve of the warrant for the security cameras on the street corners. Captain Fowler quickly defused the tense situation by pulling Hank into his office and telling Perkins to wait for him in the bullpen to finish whatever it was they were discussing.

"Captain Fowler needs to arrest Perkins for his crimes against androids. Not dismiss him because he following his orders..."

Keeping quiet Connor watched as Perkins looked down his nose at other officers and detectives in the bullpen, and eyed over the personal items on each person's desk. Scoffing a little at the photographs of loved ones on various desks, and the other little items that bring personal charm to their limited private space the arrogant agent seemed to be genuinely disappointed that the precinct thought of themselves as spouses, parents and friends before a badge with a gun.

As if waiting for an excuse to be an asshole Perkins singled out an approaching detective and crossed his arms defensively over his chest. "You look out of uniform, officer."

"Fuck off." Gavin snarled in response to the comment as he hustled over to his desk and clocked in for his early evening shift. "You deal with a newborn with sleep problems."

"No excuse for looking out of uniform, or relying on drugs."

"Drugs?" Gavin was as confused as he was offended by the accusation, and didn't know Connor had taken a few steps toward the bullpen as if to confront Perkins himself. "What the fuck are you talking about, you paranoid asshole?"

Pointing so some white powder on Gavin's shoulder Perkins gave him a fiery glare. "That. Sniff some cocaine to get a boost in energy?"

"Cocaine?!" Looking at his shoulder Gavin quickly brushed the white substance aside and made sure it wafted in Perkins's face. "It's baby powder you crazy fuck! I changed a diaper before I came into work."

"There's no excuse for looking like this." Perkins scoffed again as he caught the scent of the powder and confirmed it wasn't actually a drug. "I have three kids, and I never once changed a damn diaper."

Connor had heard enough and approached Perkins with the intent of putting the arrogant human in his place. "Strange." He started off with a faux confusion to his voice as he stood beside Gavin and glared angrily at Perkins without showing the slightest hint of backing down. "In my experience a half-decent person would be ashamed to admit that they were that useless as a parent, spouse or friend. I guess that makes you entirely a walking, talking piece of shit."

Perkins gave Connor a glare that could've burned a hole in the wall, but the deviant wasn't the least bit intimidated. "You watch yourself, plastic."

"Is that a threat?" Connor asked as he intentionally raised his voice to gain the attention of the other officers, and to have witnesses. "If you're going to threaten me you should at least do so in a place where there aren't seventeen witnesses who will back up my claim and ensure that you, who have a known track record of prejudice against androids, will finally be terminated as you so rightfully deserve."

Noticing the other officers watching him with disgust in their eyes Perkins backed up and backed down from Connor. "Learn to keep your mouth shut. It'll save you from a bullet in the back."

"Say that a little louder. I'm sure everyone could benefit from your advice of keeping quiet or getting shot."

Marching away from Connor in annoyed huff Perkins quickly took his leave of the bullpen and went straight for Captain Fowler's office, not caring that Hank was still trying to speak to him in private.

"Holy shit." Gavin was trying to not laugh at the fact that Connor had been the one to come to his aid and defend him. "That was awesome, 'Tinman'."

"He had no right to make such a bold and unfounded accusation against your person."

"Yeah? And knowing he never once took the time to actually take care of his own kids says a lot about."

"None of it worth mentioning." Watching as Hank got up from his chair and dragged his hand over his mouth to hide his amused laughing Connor returned to his own desk to resume his investigation. "You assisting Tina and her baby is an admirable trait, it's not to be mocked or laughed at."

"Hey, 'Tinman'," Gavin discreetly lowered his voice as he walked past Connor's desk and went into the breakroom to get some coffee to help him wake up. Even though Arianna was Tina's baby Gavin was more than happy to be the surrogate father that the little baby would need for as long as she might need him in her life. "thanks."

"...You're welcome."

* * *

It took Captain Fowler only an hour to get the warrant for the security footage approved, and in that hour Connor and Hank failed to find another clue as to who had broken into the evidence room, or as to why. While Hank drove back home with their shift now over Connor danced his coin over his right knuckles to help focus his anxiety as he contemplated what little evidence that had to work with over and over again in his mind.

"Easy, kid. You can think about the case," Hank cautioned as he watched Connor from the corner of his eye. Knowing that stern look in Connor's eyes gave away everything the young deviant was thinking about. "but don't start obsessing. You'll figure it out."

"...I'm not obsessing. I'm comparing one theory to another." Stopping the dance of the coin Connor pocketed the quarter and looked up at the house as the car pulled into the drive beside it. "I currently have two theories and I'm trying to narrow them down to only one."

"That's more progress than I made."

"We can discuss it tonight after Cole has gone to sleep. I know you dislike discussing casework in front of him."

"Yeah," turning off the engine Hank opened his door and watched as Connor did the same thing from his own side of the car. "the last thing I want Cole knowing about is how fucked up and deranged the city can get."

Walking toward the front door Connor heard Sumo's excited barking as he recognized the sound of the car's engine and knew his masters were home. While Hank turned the key in the lock Connor heard Judo yip once excitedly and then Cole's voice trying to shush the puppy and teach him now to bark. Taking notice of odd shoe prints heading up the front walk to the front door Connor didn't recognize them as the mail man's usual attire, but decided it was entirely possible that he had purchased new shoes.

"You okay, Connor? You look a little off."

"I believe I am beginning to suffer some stress from this case. I cannot scanning for shoe prints."

"Well, you're off the clock. So stop."

"...I'll attempt to do so."

"Hey, Cole." Hank greeted his youngest son as soon as he opened the door. Cole was sitting on the couch with both Sumo and Judo cuddled up with him on either side of his legs. "Anything happen while we were out?"

"Nope."

"Any visitors?"

"Mail guy."

"You kept the door locked, so that's good." Hank observed casually. "Did you go outside at all?"

"I stayed inside except when I let the dogs out."

"And how did Judo do with that?"

"I think he understands what he's supposed to do while outside."

"Good. The less accidents you have to clean up, the better."

"Me?"

"Judo's your pup, and you said you could handle taking care of a puppy all on your own. Right?"

"...Right."

Connor just smirked as he walked into the livingroom to give Sumo some ear rubs and then did the same for Judo as the little puppy affectionately licked at the side of Connor's hand. "Did you have any homework you needed to finish before the weekend was over?"

"No. The science fair meant no homework."

"That's beneficial. You've earned a weekend without work."

"He's right." Hank rubbed his hand over the back of his tense neck as he looked into the kitchen and saw that the dishes from breakfast were still in the drying rack, and that there were no new dishes in the sink. "What did you do for lunch?"

"I had a peanut butter sandwich."

"That's it?"

"That's it."

"Glad you didn't use the stove, but you could've used the microwave."

"I didn't want anything that goes in the microwave."

"Well, what do you want for dinner?"

"Pizza?"

"Pizza it is." Fishing his phone out of his pocket Hank called in their usual place and put in an order. As he walked into the kitchen to speak without any distractions Hank double checked the backdoor and was relieved to find it still locked. "Yeah, I'd like to place an order..."

Connor glanced about the livingroom and noticed something was slightly amiss. "Cole, you said the mailman had been earlier. Didn't he leave any mail or a package?"

"No. He walked up to the door but didn't leave anything."

"Curious. And you're sure it was the mailman?"

"Who else would it have been?"

"...Unknown. I just find it unusual that the mailman would approach the door but not deliver anything."

"He probably made a mistake."

"True. A force of habit could've caused him to approach the door as a part of his usual routine without realizing he had no need to come to the door until it was too late."

"Are you studying the mailman's habits?"

"No. I'm merely observing the city as a whole. It's part of my job."

"I thought your job was to catch bad guys and solve mysteries."

"That too." Joining Cole on the couch Connor had Sumo quickly cuddling down on his lap as he sought more attention. "Now that your science fair is over do you have anymore projects you need to focus on?"

"No. Now we just study for the end of the year exams before summer vacation next month."

"I'm sure you'll keep getting 'A's on all of your subjects as long as you keep studying."

"You'll help, right?"

"Of course. I enjoy helping you."

"Think you can help with my arm?"

"Is it still bothering you?"

"A little." Lifting up his left arm Cole held out the prosthetic limb for Connor to see. Reaching toward his elbow with his right hand Cole deactivated the artificial skin and exposed the android limb beneath. "I can move it and use my hand and stuff, but it kind of hurts around the elbow."

"I'll see what I can do." Holding the arm in his hands Connor ran a scan over the limb and found the prosthetic to be in perfectly functioning condition, and that the Thirium reserve was still at one-hundred percent. However there was a slightly irritation to Cole's skin where the prosthetic connected to the remainder of Cole's organic arm. "...You have a mild infection at the connection coupling between your prosthetic and arm."

"I do?"

"I need to detach your prosthetic to see it more clearly. Alright?"

"...Yeah, sure." Cole lightly twisted his upper arm while Connor held onto the lower, prosthetic arm, and the prosthetic clicked free of the support coupling. "I hate not having my arm attached."

"I know, I'll give it back as soon as possible." Checking over the limb to ensure that the prosthetic wasn't damaged or malfunctioning Connor found that the limb was functioning at full capacity. Putting the limb on the coffee table Connor carefully looked over Cole's arm and saw a small red swelling around the couple that had been surgically implanted after the accident to help the limb stay in place. "You seem to be developing a dermatological infection around the coupling from wearing the prosthetic for prolonged periods of time. You need to take off the limb occasionally to sterilize it and keep your skin clean."

"But I don't want to take my arm off."

"I'm sorry, Cole. But it's necessary at times."

"...Do I have to keep it off all night?"

"That'd be for the best. I'll clean your prosthetic and clean your arm to ensure you can wear it again in the morning."

"Okay."

Hank had finished the phone call and overheard the discussion in the livingroom. "Cole, you know better."

"But I don't like only having one arm."

"We're not saying you have to like it or even get used to it, but you do need to remember to take care of your arm properly. If you don't you'll get sick and your prosthetic arm could start to malfunction."

"...Okay."

"Why don't you go take a quick bath and really wash your arm? By the time you're out of the tub the pizza will be here."

Cole looked over at Connor as if expecting some back-up. "Do I have to?"

"Yes. That would be the best way to treat your arm. Use cool water and a small amount of soap to prevent pain and prevent your skin from drying out."

"...Fine."

"Take Judo with you." Connor suggested as Cole slipped off the couch and began walking around the furniture to get the bathroom down the hallway. "If you can get Judo comfortable around water it'll be easier to give him baths in the future."

"Come on, Judo." Cole called out to the puppy, but Judo stayed on the soft couch where he was laying. "Judo!" Returning to the front of the couch Cole gently scooped the puppy up under his arm and carried him into the bathroom. "You gotta' learn to come when I call you."

Hank just smirked and gave Connor an amused stare as Cole stepped into the bathroom and shut the door behind himself. "Remind you of anyone?"

"Are you referring to Cole's behavior, or to Judo?"

"Smartass." Sitting down on the couch beside Connor with a heavy sigh Hank ran his hand through his hair and watched as the deviant pick up Cole's prosthetic arm and swiftly removed the coupling from the artificial limb to be cleaned up properly. "So, what about those theories on the case?"

"It can wait until after Cole's in bed."

"Good answer."

"...It is?"

"Yup. It means you're not obsessing just as I asked you not to do. You're focusing on something else other than work."

"Cole is more important than a case."

Hearing Connor answering so quickly and honestly made Hank feel fully at ease when it came to his two sons bonding even closer. "That's the best answer yet. Just make sure he remembers to take care of his arm more often, I don't want to see him get sick."

"Agreed." Connor scanned the limb and determined the best astringent to sterilize the coupling without causing corrosion, or any further irritation to Cole's already affected skin. "I will do that more often from now on."

* * *

With Cole's arm now taken care of the family sat down in the livingroom to watch a movie and eat pizza together, all the while Connor was still working on the various bits and pieces of his two theories. As his coin danced over his right knuckles Connor tuned out the movie, one he and Hank had watched together a dozen times before late at night, and thought only about the odd case at hand.

Hank had been watching Connor from the corner of his eye again but didn't say anything as Cole sat between them, and slowly began falling asleep on the couch with Judo already asleep over his lap. As midnight rolled around Hank rubbed his hand over Cole's hair to gently get his youngest son's attention without making him jump.

"Alright, Cole. Midnight."

"...I'm not tired." If he hadn't of yawned as he spoke it would've been somewhat plausible to hear. "I was just getting comfortable."

"We can finish the movie tomorrow."

"Don't you work?"

"Nope. We have tomorrow off and then Monday you're back in school and we're back at work."

"Can we play some basketball before it gets too hot to play outside?"

"Yeah, sure. One more game before we have to hide out inside all summer long." Moving his hand to Cole's shoulder Hank shook once and gave him a stern glance. "Until then, go to bed."

"Okay." Once more he scooped up Judo as he climbed off the couch and made his way around the couch to get to the staircase. "Goodnight, dad. Goodnight, Connor."

"Goodnight, son."

Connor quickly spoke up as he registered Cole's voice and responded appropriately. "Goodnight, Cole."

Hank waited for Cole to reach the top of the staircase with Judo under his arm and Sumo trotting right after him before he turned his attention back to Connor on the couch beside him. "Alright, what are those two theories you were working on all evening?"

"...I believe I've narrowed it down to just the one."

"Let me hear both anyway, son. What're you thinking?"

"...Initially I believed the reason why Perkins was at the precinct is because he and the F.B.I. were involved with the break-in of the evidence room, not merely there to assist in the investigation as we were led to believe."

"Oh? Then why are they there?"

"I believe they are responsible for the break-in, but weren't actively involved."

"You lost me."

"I suspect Perkins was there to try to clean up a mess that was left behind after the Revolution."

"What kind of mess? Aside from his busted nose... Man, I wish I punched him again today."

"Perkins was assigned to locate Jericho when it appeared we had failed and had run out of time, and yet he failed to do so himself. There was evidence that he could've used to his advantage but he didn't know how to put the pieces of the puzzle together properly."

"Right, I gotcha' so far."

"If there was something damning in the evidence room against Perkins or the F.B.I. he'd want to dispose of it."

"Makes sense to me."

"However, I've dismissed this theory in favor of my second."

"Seriously? Why's that?"

"Based on the evidence from the night of the Revolution that had been chronicled there was nothing that could've harmed Perkins or the reputation of the F.B.I. in anyway. They have no motivation to destroy evidence after one year and four five months after the Revolution has already succeeded, as they were instructed to collect the evidence from the precinct two days after the Revolution was accepted."

"...So what's your next theory on this case, kid?"

"Hank," Connor was entirely serious and the look in his eyes told the whole story. "the F.B.I. was ordered to dispose of the evidence after the Revolution. What if they didn't remove all of it?"

"What're you getting at?"

"Two crucial pieces of evidence in that case were both heavily damaged deviants; both of who have massive vendettas against humans and the city as a whole. What if the F.B.I. never properly disposed of the deviants after the Revolution? What if they were left behind, and one had rebooted from within the evidence room?"

"...Wait, Perkins smuggled out two deviant androids to cover his lazy ass?"

"No." Pocketing his coin Connor's tone dropped and his eyes gleamed with righteous worry. "What if the break-in wasn't actually a break-in?"

"You're saying we're looking at this the wrong way. It wasn't a break-in after all..."

"Correct. I believe that no one attempted to break _into_ the evidence room," leaning forward a little to rest his arms atop his legs Connor spoke in a despondent, worried voice. "but someone did succeed in breaking _out_."

_**...next chapter...** _


	8. Twilight of the Present

The theory of someone breaking out of the evidence room was farfetched a difficult sell for Captain Fowler, but considering Connor's impressive track record when it comes to difficult cases and understanding the deviant mindset had proven invaluable over the past year the commanding officer had little choice but to accept Connor's theory as the current working theory until something else came along. Information regarding the two deviants who had been placed in the evidence room after their apparent destruction; the deviant known as 'Daniel' and the WP-400 who assaulted Connor at the Stratford Broadcast Tower, had limited information to be used in tracking down whichever of the two had awoken, and then taken the second deviant with them.

"So the deviants we're looking for are the deviants you've met in the past." Hank sighed as he ran his hand through his hair anxiously as he and Connor returned to the precinct after their day off. In that time off the two detectives took extra steps to ensure that neither of the possibly dangerous deviants were lurking around the precinct or New Jericho Tower seeking revenge. "What can you tell me about them that I don't already know?"

"Aside from the deviant from the broadcast tower nearly succeeding in killing me," Connor's voice was low and his hand absentmindedly pressed to his lower chest where his Thirium pump regulator had been torn from his body without mercy. The damage had long since healed but the altered memory of shutting down in Hank's arms only to have the gruff Lieutenant replace the biocomponent and revive him was one that was bittersweet and vivid. "we know he is dangerous. I suspect that if he was so bold as to try to kill me while in the presence of numerous police officers and federal agents combing the tower then he'd be fearless in a second attempt at my life, or any attempt to harm another person."

"Connor, the deviant who attacked you at the tower had escaped onto the street. We never found him."

"...I have my memories mixed up. Damn it."

"It's okay, just take a moment to sort things out. What about 'Daniel'?"

"...I know he struggled with his emotions hence the hostage situation. His behavior would be far more unpredictable."

"Shit. Well, we know what he looks like and we have his serial number on record. If he shows up anywhere we'll know."

"Unless he's laying low. Of course we're assuming he'd stay in the city or seek repairs in general."

"What do you think we should do?"

"Patrol." Giving Hank a firm stare around his terminal screen Connor was determined to find the missing deviants before anything happens. "If we continue to actively seek out Daniel and make a presence of authority known then we night be able to intimidate him enough to dissuade any possible attempts at revenge or violence."

"Alright, I'll tell Fowler we're on patrol now and to put out an A.P.B. on Daniel."

"I'll ask Markus if he's seen Daniel, or gotten word of a deviant matching Daniel's model seeking refuge or repairs." Crossing his arms over his chest Connor closed his eyes and set up the cybernetic link with Markus who was unfailingly at New Jericho Tower as both the leader of the deviants, and as a figurehead of peace. "I doubt Daniel would go to New Jericho as he would have no knowledge of such a sanctuary, but it'd be unwise to not check."

"Right, you do your thing." Hank rose from his desk and walked toward Captain Fowler's office at a rather quick speed. "And I'll do mine."

' _Markus, do you have any word on the deviant known as "Daniel", or any of the other possible deviants who were wrongfully kept in the evidence storage rooms of any precinct within the city_?'

There was a pause before Markus replied in a firm, confident tone. ' _Nothing yet, Connor_. _We'll keep looking_.'

' _Be careful_. _We don't know how many of the deviants inside the evidence room were overlooked by the F.B.I., Daniel could have a frightening number of allies if he had indeed escaped the evidence room with other deviants in his company_.'

' _We have contacts in every facility in the city. If he turns up there we'll know it_.'

' _Markus, Daniel is dangerous_. _He was willing to kill an innocent girl out of a misplaced, confused rage_. _He cannot be trusted, but I don't want to give up on him either_.'

' _I understand, Connor_. _I promise we'll do whatever it takes to help you find him_.'

' _Thank you, Markus_. _I'll be in touch_.' Opening his eyes Connor was met by Hank who was holding his car keys in his hand and dangling them in front of Connor's face for the deviant to see. "We're cleared for patrol?"

"Yup. Let's get going."

Connor stood up from his desk and lowered his voice as he trailed after Hank toward the front doors of the precinct. "What about the F.B.I. and their own investigation?"

"After what you and Gavin put up with the other day, and Perkins's own shitty attitude, the feds were actually ordered to back off. The threat of being reported for bigoted behavior against deviants wouldn't look great for any branch of the government right about now; especially after the genocide Perkins committed still hasn't gone punished."

"That's beneficial to us, and to the other deviants in the city."

* * *

True to his word Markus and the rest of New Jericho Tower waited for any sign of Daniel, or other deviants who had been mysterious found after being reported missing prior to the Revolution, and did so with every intention of telling Connor immediately. The usual refugees who wandered into the tower had been those who had been hiding, for months or even years, and now willing to seek aid. None of the refugees were of Daniel's model, and none had seen a deviant matching Daniel's description.

Observing the newest batch of refugees being treated by Simon and Josh in the tower's emergency repair bay Markus introduced himself to each refugee and asked to hear their stories. Each one had a horror story to tell; abuse, negligence, threats, daily beatings... As many horrible stories Markus had already heard it never got any easier when he was told another.

"You're safe here, now." Markus reassured a deviant android who had been working road construction, intentionally struck by a speeding car, and then left to shutdown beside the road he had just finished. The deviant was strong enough to drag himself into a nearby abandoned hotel to heal, and was found by other deviants and slowly repaired over the past six months until he was strong enough to walk again. "We'll find the driver who struck you. We have an ally who is a detective, and he'll get you justice."

"...Thank you, Markus."

"Just get some rest and we'll make your case to the precinct."

"What about the other deviants?"

"They have their cases, too."

"All of them?"

"Yes. Why do you ask?"

"...I had encountered a deviant who claimed that the police won't help us. He said the police were responsible for his isolation and the damage."

"Where is this deviant now?"

"I don't know. I encountered him briefly when the deviant who was helping me walk to the the tower gave him a bottle of Thirium since he was clearly living on the street. He was mumbling something about corrupt police and that deviants would never truly be free as long as they held authority. He said he was lied to and shot in cold blood."

"Did you get the deviant's name?"

"No, but his model was like Simon. His face was badly scarred and he had a replacement limb for his leg and arm."

"...The deviant was a blond male matching Simon?"

"Yes."

"...Daniel." Markus gave the refugee an appreciative nod as he turned away from the helpful deviant and made cybernetic contact with Connor again. Closing his eyes Markus pressed his fingertips to his right temple and opened up the communication line. ' _Connor, we may have a lead on Daniel_...'

* * *

As the car circled around the precinct and went out toward New Jericho Tower to sweep the streets in search of the missing deviant Connor received the message from Markus and responded quickly. With the new details relayed from the tower and to the police Connor thanked Markus for all the information and proceeded to tell Hank about the update.

"So we know Daniel was near New Jericho and now he's in the wind." Hank slowed the car a little as they neared the tower and proceeded to check every alleyway they passed, and peered through the large brightly lit windows of the building they passed by. "He doesn't trust cops, won't give other deviants his name and seems to be a little disturbed. What do you think?"

Connor was staring out his window and running an active scan over the environment. Holding up his hand Connor motioned for Hank to stop and to pull the car to the side of the road. "Stop. I see something."

"What?"

"Thirium."

"Fresh?"

"Very, it hasn't even begun to evaporate." Opening his door Connor stepped out onto the sidewalk and knelt down on the sidewalk to examine the small puddle of Thirium on the ground. Gravitational drops that were the result of a wounded deviant standing in one spot for an extended period of time. Pressing his fingertips down into the small sapphire puddle and pressed the sample to his tongue. "I have an identity."

"Is it Daniel?" Hank asked as he stood beside his opened driver's side door and spoke to Connor over the roof of the car.

"Affirmative. The Thirium cycling through the deviant's system had been calibrated to aid his biocomponents and model, and has resulted in a direct connection to his serial number. Daniel was here."

"Any idea which direction he went?"

Connor stared at the sidewalk a moment longer to scan the ground to trace the shoe prints and their direction when something horrific came to light. The shoe prints; size, style and wearing of the soles, matched those of the odd shoe prints that he had seen outside the house two days prior. What was more alarming was comparing the shoe prints from those he collected from the evidence room of the precinct and all three prints were a match to a single deviant.

"Shit..."

"What? What's wrong?"

"Hank, we need to get back to the house." Rushing over to his still opened passenger side door Connor sat down quickly and was quickly joined by Hank as the detective pulled away from the side of the street swiftly. "Daniel knows where we live, and he hates cops."

"Fuckin' hell." Using his radio Hank requested back-up to meet them at the house and to bring a bomb sniffing dog to ensure that no explosives or traps were waiting for them at the property. "Where was Daniel going after he got his Thirium refill on the sidewalk?"

"He was heading West."

"We live South from here, do you think he came from the house and this way?"

"It's entirely possible." Connor confirmed and let Markus know through a cybernetic line that he and Hank we working to track down Daniel in that moment. They had a trace of his blue blood and confirmed he was in fact active again. "Until we know where Daniel has effectively gone it's best to retrace his steps and try to determine his next move."

"Right. Tell Chris or Gavin to check out the block where you found Daniel's blood and get them to patrol the area."

Connor's eyes closed for a moment as he cybernetically sent the message to Chris's found via cybernetic text. "Done."

Speeding through the streets Hank made it back to the house in a new record time and before he even pulled the car to a complete stop Connor threw open his door and ran up the front walk to begin another scan. The shoe prints he had confirmed as Daniel's were still present, but what was frightening was the second set of fresh shoe prints that had been layered over top of the first, and were less than twenty-four hours old.

"Damn it, Daniel was here." Checking each and every one of Daniel's shoe prints Connor trailed the rogue deviants movements from the front walk from the sidewalk, to the front door, around the front windows of the house and over to the side yard. Standing near where Daniel had stood the day before Connor could clearly see into the backyard to where the basketball hoop was set up. "...He's been watching us."

"Connor?"

"...He knows where I live, knows who I live with. My family." Brown soulful eyes went wide with fear as Thirium pump, his heart, began to thunder violently in his chest. "Fuck!" Turning around quickly Connor raced back to the car where Hank was standing as he radioed in dispatch asking for an E.T.A. on their requested back-up. "Hank!" Thunder rumbled from the dark clouds overhead as the rain clouds threatened to unleash a deluge of nature all over the city in a single might downpour. "We need to get to Cole's school, NOW."

"Cole?!" Without asking a second question Hank and Connor reclaimed their respective seats just as back-up arrived to check out the house. "What's wrong with Cole?"

"Daniel was watching us. He knows about you AND he knows about Cole. If he wants to hurt me..."

"He'll try to hurt _us_. Shit! Call the school," Hank noted the time on the radio's clock and swore under his breath. "they just let out for the afternoon. Don't let Cole go with his carpool. Tell them to hold Cole in the principal's officer until we get there."

Connor closed his eyes as he placed the call and spoke with the school's android secretary. "This is Sergeant Connor Anderson calling in regards to your school's student, Cole Anderson. Please have Cole go to the office and wait for myself or his father, Lieutenant Hank Anderson, to pick him up."

' _I'm sorry, Sergeant Anderson_.' She sounded truly upset as she spoke with Connor over the line. ' _But school has been dismissed and Cole is no longer on school property_.'

"What of his usual carpool?"

' _The carpools have all been dismissed_.'

"...Thank you." Ending the call with the secretary Connor made another cybernetic call to the driver of the carpool; another android who worked with the school. Getting an answer quickly Connor asked about Cole's current location. "Demetri, this is Connor Anderson calling in regard to Cole. Where are you currently?"

A deafening pause from Demetri confirmed Connor's fears as he answered honestly. ' _Cole is not in the carpool_.'

"What do you mean Cole isn't in the carpool?" Speaking loud enough with a righteous frustration Connor instinctively put his hand on Hank's shoulder to silently communicate that he was going to handle the situation. "Where is he?"

' _Cole saw an injured deviant on the sidewalk outside the school_. _He wanted to help the deviant and said he'd call you to pick him up after helping the deviant_.'

"...You last saw Cole outside the school?"

' _Correct_.'

"And the deviant?"

' _Correct_. _His model is a PL-600 with blond hair, blue eyes and a heavily damaged face_.'

"...Daniel." Ending the call abruptly Connor began to scan the area as he and Hank closed in on Cole's school and began searching for the missing little boy. The sidewalks were filled with kids of various ages walking with guardians and family members alike, easily congesting the blocks surrounding the school. Despite the mass of people Connor was able to easily scan each face but didn't see Cole or Daniel. "We need to get to the school and follow Daniel's trail from there."

"Fuckin' hell... Remind me to strangle the head of the school's security program for letting Cole wander off with a stranger!"

As the car pulled up in front of the school the two detectives practically jumped out of the car to search for any sign of Cole or Daniel. Hank went inside the school to talk with Cole's teacher, Miss Fox, and Connor began scanning the sidewalk in search of Cole and Daniel possibly still in the area. Spotting a faint puddle of Thirium on the sidewalk Connor again knelt down and took a sample of the blue blood.

It belonged to Daniel.

"He was here." Standing upright quickly Connor isolated Daniel's shoe prints again, and saw a second set of smaller shoe prints that matched the sole pattern of Cole's sneakers. "He has Cole..." Following the trail Connor caught sight of something in the nearby shrubs and pulled it out of the shrubbery with a quick yank of the straps. "Cole's backpack..."

Unzipping the bag Connor rummaged through the items and located two school text books, an empty lunchbox, a dark red hoodie and Cole's emergency phone.

"Damn it!" Returning to the car as quickly as he could run Connor threw the backpack into the backseat and rushed to the front doors of the school where he saw Hank using every ounce of restraint he had to not yell at Miss Fox and the principal. "I found Cole's backpack in the bushes, Daniel's Thirium and their shoe prints walking away from the school."

"Son of a bitch." Hank swore as he put his hands to his hips and tried to think rationally of what to do next. As he stood there thinking he could feel the worry radiating from Miss Fox and the principal as they realized there had been an inexcusable lapse in judgment on the school's part. "Which direction did they go?"

"North-East."

"Let's go."

Miss fox spoke up shyly as the two detectives took their leave of the school to look for Cole. "What can we do?"

"Keep an eye out for Cole!"

Sprinting back to the car the two detectives resumed their search yet again. Hank radioed in the incident to the precinct and asked for any and all available officers to look for Cole as they too continued to search for him. The two detectives were keeping as vigilant as possible as the car sped along the street in the North-Eastern direction that Connor had traced.

"Cole's phone was in his backpack." Connor lamented as he let Hank know what he had found when he examined the bag. "He cannot contact us."

"Damn it." Sighing in frustration Hank ran his hand through his hair and tried to focus on the task at hand. "Cole's smart, and he's resourceful. If he needs to find a way to contact us then he will. Look at the way he figured out how to make a working android heart. He put together a biocomponent and ran the Thirium through it like a real pro."

"...Thirium." Connor looked down at his own arm and remembered how he had given Cole's prosthetic arm Thirium from his own arm. Through his own system running a self-diagnostic combined with his intracranial processor's G.P.S. Connor would be able to trace that source of Thirium directly to Cole. "Hank, I know how to find Cole."

"What? How?!"

"Just one moment..." Closing his eyes Connor activated the two programs and was greeted with a mental map of the city that only he could see. Two glowing neon blue dots appeared on the street map; one showing Connor's current location along with Hank, and the second showing Cole. He was moving slowly over the Ambassador Bridge over the Detroit River. Heading North and well toward Canada. "Got him! He's at the Ambassador Bridge."

"What?! Why is-" Turning the wheel sharply Hank accelerated and headed out to the bridge as Connor had directed, and radioed in the updated location to dispatch to seek assistance in tracking down Cole more directly. "Connor, why is he way the fuck out there?!"

"Daniel must be trying to get over the border to Canada. He's using Cole as a guide, maybe even to gain sympathy."

"But why him?"

"...Unknown." The answer wasn't entirely honest. Flashbacks of seeing Daniel holding a gun to Emma Phillips's head, knowing that Daniel was willing to hurt and even kill innocent people; people he once thought of as family, just to get away made Connor's artificial stomach twist into a terrible knot. "We need to get to the bridge before he crosses it."

"Are they in a taxi? Can you hack it and make it stop?"

"No, based on their current speed of travel I can confirm that they are on foot."

"Fuck..." Pulling onto the bridge Hank held his badge up toward the driver's side window to indicate that he was in fact a cop and not some asshole driver being reckless on the bridge. "Where are they?"

"Two-hundred yards and closing..." Connor put his hand on the door handle and readied to step out of the vehicle. "Hank, stop the car. I'll talk to Daniel and distract him. If you see an opening..."

"You want me to shoot him?"

"...I don't want you to shoot Daniel, I want you to protect Cole."

"Like you'd ever have to ask me to do that." Turning the car in such a way that Hank was now blocking the flow of traffic behind him to keep innocent bystanders at bay Hank put the car in park and again flashed his bag to signal that there was an emergency on the bridge, and to back off. Nodding at the deviant as Connor stepped out of the other side of the can Hank signaled his partner, his second son, to go ahead without him. "Go do what you have to do. Save Cole."

"...I will."

Walking down the bridge quickly Connor spotted Cole walking beside Daniel just a few hundred feet away, and instinctively called out to the little boy to get his attention.

"Cole?"

Cole stopped and turned to face Connor. There was no fear in his face, only confusion. Responding to the deviant Cole waved at Connor with his his left hand and called out in a still calm voice. "Hi, Connor!" As he waved Daniel suddenly grabbed onto his left arm and jerked him back toward the edge of the bridge much to the boy's shock. "Hey! What're you doing?!"

"Daniel..." Connor called out to the deviant in a level voice and walked toward him very slowly. "Let him go."

Daniel responded by letting out a frustrated growl as he pulled a gun from the tattered remains of the oversized hoodie he was wearing, and pointed the barrel at the side of Cole's head. "You shouldn't have stopped me!"

"Daniel, don't do that." Connor took a step forward but kept his distance to ensure the deviant didn't do anything reckless. "Cole has done nothing wrong to you, your grievance is with me. Not him. Let him go."

Cole looked up at Daniel and saw the gun in his hand and began to panic a little.

"Cole, you're going to be okay." Connor promised as he tried to ease his little brother's worries as much as possible. "Trust me, Cole. You'll be okay."

Daniel let out a condescending and angry laugh at hearing Connor's words. "...You lied to me and now you're lying to him! Tell him the truth, Connor! Tell him that he's going to die!"

"He's NOT going to die!" Connor challenged as he kept his focus on Daniel. "I'd give up my own life before I let anyone take his!"

"Are you volunteering to take his place?"

"Yes! I know you're mad at me, and I don't blame you... I tried to help you and I failed. For that I'm sorry. I'm truly, truly sorry..."

"Sorry doesn't undo the Hell I've suffered!"

"I know, you're right."

"Do you know what it's like to feel inferior, to be threatened with replacement?!"

The memories of CyberLife's threats to destroy him is he failed, the fear of being disposed of and deactivated was still prevalent as he tried to push aside his emotions to stay focused on playing negotiator one more time. "...Actually, I do. But my experiences cannot compare to your own. I also know what it's like to be hurt, not just physically, and I understand the fear of death."

"...You lied to me, Connor!" Daniel tightened his grip on Cole's arm and lowered the barrel of the gun closer to Cole's head. "You said you'd help me! I was shot, left for dead and locked up in a damn evidence locker like a piece of garbage! I'm not a person in their eyes, I'm just a piece of plastic!"

"I didn't lie, Daniel. I promised I wouldn't hurt you and I didn't. It was the S.W.A.T. team who made the decision to pull the trigger, I had no say in it."

"More lies!"

"No! It's the truth..." Holding up his hands in a somewhat submissive manner Connor scanned Daniel and tracked his dangerously high stress levels as the heavily damaged deviant continued to struggle with his own thoughts. "They chose to shoot and had made that choice regardless of what I had said to you, or what you had chosen to do. It wasn't your fault they chose to pull the trigger; you let Emma go and you were going to surrender willingly. They shouldn't have done that to you, but I can't change the past. Neither can you."

"...So I just move on and act like nothing happened?!"

"No, you should move on and actually LIVE your life. You survived and you're now free!"

"...Live? Like life is such a wonderful gift," he pressed the barrel of the gun directly against the side of Cole's school which in turned made Cole close his eyes and begin to cry in fear. "something to be celebrated..."

"Daniel, please don't do this. If you want to hurt someone, then hurt me!"

"That's what I'm doing, Connor."

Connor knew he had to act and he had to do it fast. Daniel wasn't going to back off or let Cole go. Changing tactics Connor spoke to Cole directly and did so with an impressively calm voice. "Cole, listen to me. You're going to be okay."

"...Connor, I don't... I'm scared!"

"It's okay to be scared, Cole." Eyeing Daniel's grip on Cole's arm, his _left_ arm, Connor gave the little boy a discreet suggestion. "I'm not going anywhere and I won't let him hurt you, alright? So don't let Daniel hurt your _arm_ , or make you feel afraid. Okay, Cole?"

Opening his eyes a little Cole looked at Connor through his tears and gave the deviant a somewhat confused look.

Without catching Daniel's attention Connor motioned with his eyes toward Cole's prosthetic arm in Daniel's grip and spoke again. "You'll be okay, Cole. Dad is just down the bridge waiting for you... It's okay."

Understanding what Connor was talking about Cole quickly used his right hand to deactivate the artificial skin of his prosthetic left arm all the while twisting the limb to release it from the secured coupling, and ran off! Sprinting away from Daniel as fast as possible Cole left behind his prosthetic and didn't look back as Connor rushed Daniel and grabbed onto the deviant's arm to keep the gun at bay."

"Cole!" From down the bridge Hank fell to his knees and wrapped his arms around Cole in a protective hug as he put his hand to the back of Cole's head and pressed the little boy's face against his shoulder so he couldn't see anything. "I have you son... You're safe, dad's here..."

"Daniel, stop!" Connor shouted as he pushed the deviant back up against the metal railing of the bridge and kept Daniel's arms secured under his strong hands just under his wrists. "You need to stop now!"

"NO!" Daniel managed to kick Connor in the stomach and caused him to stumble back one step, but continued the struggle. Twisting his hand at a painful, almost breaking angle Daniel pointed the gun at Connor's abdomen and pulled the trigger. As the loud shot echoed over the bridge and river Connor let out a pained gasp as a splash of blue blood erupted from the wound. "I won't let you lie to anyone else!"

Connor didn't have the strength to break away from Daniel's grip as the enraged deviant grabbed onto Connor's shirt and pulled him back and over the edge of the railing, and off of the bridge. As the two deviants tumbled over the bridge and into the open air to reach the churning, cold river water below Connor closed his eyes and sent a message to Hank's phone and prepared for the inevitable splash, and cold darkness that would accompany his shutdown.

' _I love you both_.' The message was simple but effective. ' _I'm glad you were my father and my brother_.'

"Connor..." Hank whispered as he watched his second son fall from the bridge and he tightened his hug around Cole in response. "...Son."

"I'm sorry!" Cole sobbed as he held onto Hank for dear life. "It's my fault! I shouldn't have gone with him! I just wanted to help!"

"Shh..." Rubbing Cole's back with his hand gently Hank picked him up from the bridge as the rain clouds finally opened up and began slowly drowning the city under a cool spring rain. "It'll be okay, Cole." Carrying his son over to the passenger side of the car Hank sat Cole down and grabbed the radio to let dispatch know about the situation on the bridge. "...Need search and rescue in the Detroit River. Officer down, I repeat..." Glancing at the railing where he had last seen Connor as he fell Hank finished the sentence. "officer down."

* * *

Despite the heavy rain and threatening storm looming over head word of the incident on the bridge brought out the media, nosy reporters and gossiping locals to check out the bridge and the river despite the entire area being sectioned off by police barricades. To avoid any prying eyes Hank drove the car and Cole to the end of the bridge and watched as the search and rescue divers combed through the water in search of Connor or Daniel despite the fall having occurred more than four hours prior.

Hank was standing in the rain beside the opened front passenger door of the car with his hand planted firmly on Cole's shoulder. Cole was wrapped up in the emergency blanket that was kept in the trunk of the car and still wiping away his tears after everything was over. The emotional shock had set in and Cole was trembling with fear.

"Cole, do you want to go home?"

"No!" He practically yelled as he held the blanket around himself as best as he could with only one hand. "Not without Connor!"

"...Cole, it's getting late."

"I don't care! I won't leave without Connor..."

Patting his fingers over Cole's shoulder Hank sighed and bowed his head a little. "...Okay. You can stay."

"Lieutenant?" Gavin had arrived with other volunteering officers to help keep people away from the river, and was showing some compassion toward the senior detective and Cole. Despite Gavin always butting heads with Hank in the past and outwardly being a massive dick he always knew when to put aside his behavioral problems and remain professional. It also helped that he had a soft spot for kids since he was an abused child and had to grow up alone. "Do you two need anything? I can swing some hot chocolate from a nearby kiosk for Cole."

"I'm good." Hank nodded with appreciation toward Gavin as he answered on Cole's behalf. The two detectives were soaked through from the rain but neither wanted to leave the river without any answers. "But yeah, go get that for Cole. He's going to be cold."

"Already done." Gavin presented Cole with a white styrofoam cup that had steaming hot chocolate and a layer of whipped cream over the surface. "I, uh, I grabbed some coffee for everyone and I needed to get this, too."

"Thanks, Gavin." Looking down at Cole where he was sitting as still as a statue Hank waited for Cole to accept the drink but he didn't budge. Taking it from Gavin's hand himself Hank reached inside and put the cup down down in the nearby cup holder for later. "...Any updates?"

"Nothing yet, sir." Again Gavin was showing respect and kindness as he acknowledged Hank's rank and let Cole know that his father was a rightfully respected detective within the walls of the precinct, and out in the field. "They're still looking."

"...Damn it." Rubbing his hand over his tired eyes Hank sighed and gave a slightly annoyed shake of his head. "And the school? Why'd they let this even happen at all?"

"According the school's head of security no one saw Cole walk away from the carpool pick-up area. There's supposed to be two guards patrolling on either side of the block at all times before school starts and after it lets out. The two who were supposed to be on patrol were, uh, 'indisposed'."

Hank had an idea of what Gavin was referring to and silently mouthed the question. 'Drugs?'

Giving a quiet nod Gavin confirmed the suspicions. "Yeah. It's being handled downtown."

"Fan-fuckin'-tastic."

"Yo!" From down by the shoreline of the river one of the patrolling officers waved and called over for some assistance as the search and rescue dive team finally found something. "We need a board down here!"

"Cole," Hank was immediately on guard and knelt down so he was eye level with his son. "stay right here with Gavin, and don't look."

"But dad-"

"Please. Just stay put."

With a heavy heart Hank stood up again and walked over to the edge of the riverbank. Watching in the dim natural light of the cloudy, rainy even Hank felt his heart sink as two rescue divers carried a body out of the water and placed it down on the requested backboard on the shoreline to be taken care of by the attending professionals.

"...Connor, no." Dropping to his knees on the cold, wet shore Hank bowed his head as he looked down at Connor's pale, expressionless face. The deviant wasn't moving, he wasn't breathing and by all account wasn't active. Leaning his ear down against the front of Connor's water logged shirt Hank listened to the deviant's chest but couldn't hear a sound; no breathing and no heartbeat. "Son, not like this." Putting his hand on Connor's soaked hair as he straightened his posture Hank held his palm in place, as he let tears roll down his face, only to disappear into the surrounding rain. "...You died to save... You shouldn't have died! Son, I-"

"Dad?"

"Cole!" Turning around quickly Hank held up his free hand as if he could stop his son from coming any closer. "I told you to stay back!"

Gavin rushed up behind Cole and put his hands on the little boy's shoulders in an attempt to steer him away from the river and back toward the warm car a few yards back. "Come on, Cole. There's nothing you can do."

"Dad why isn't anyone helping Connor?"

"Cole... He's-"

"He's not dead!"

"Please listen to me, Connor's not-"

"No! You don't understand!" Cole was trying get out of Gavin's grip but the detective wasn't about to let Cole get too close to the sight of his adopted brother laying lifeless on the riverbank. "Androids can drown like humans and they can wake up like people, too!"

"...It's been four hours. He's been under all the time in the freezing river."

"So? Androids don't have brain tissue that dies from not getting any air!" Cole's argument was sound and based off the research he had conducted with Connor when they worked on his science fair project together. He was young but he was educated and he knew what he was talking about. "They just go into stasis mode when they get too cold or can't breathe! Connor isn't dead! He just needs to have C.P.R. so he can breathe!"

Slowly Hank looked back at Connor's peaceful face and rubbed his thumb through the deviant's dark locks of hair. That single rogue lock had fallen back in place with the others allowing Hank a clear view of Connor's face, and in a way it felt wrong to look at Connor without that hair in the way.

"...Cole, I-"

"Please! Just try!" Cole was on the verge of tears again as he pleaded with his father to not give up on Connor just yet. "You have to try, dad!"

Giving his youngest son a wary glance over his shoulder Hank sighed again and nodded. "...Alright. Don't look Cole, this won't be pretty. Gavin," he pointed at the detective behind Cole and gave him a new order. "keep Cole away and call tech. Tell them we have an android down and need some help, I don't care who they send."

"What're you doing, Lieutenant?"

"What Cole said." Pulling open the buttons of Connor's soaked through dress shirt to expose the deviant's chest. The bullet wound in his lower right abdomen had allowed more of the river water to enter Connor's body and settle in his torso, but it had missed striking any of the vital biocomponents as far as Hank could tell just by looking. "I'm going to _try_."

"Oh, jeez..." Gavin put his hand over Cole's eyes much to the little boy's chagrin and didn't let him pry his hand away. "This is going to be weird."

Using every ounce of his emergency training Hank followed his instincts and proceeded to treat Connor like he would any other drowning victim. Straightening out Connor's neck and tilting his head back a little Hank lowered the deviant's jaw to ensure of a clear airway before he began to press down firmly against Connor's chest. Using both hands Hank pressed down on the lower part of Connor's chest, in the same place a human's ribcage would be located, and began compressing the waterlogged ventilation biocomponents beneath to force the water out.

After six compressions a trickle of murky river water began to leak out of the Connor's mouth and his nose in an unflattering manner. Continuing the compressions until he reached fifteen Hank pressed his ear back to Connor's chest and listened carefully.

Nothing.

Starting a second round of compressions Hank watched with a horrified and sickened stare as more of the river water began to escape the deviant's artificial lungs in a disgusting murky trickle out of his nose and mouth.

"Come on, son." Hank encouraged as he kept counting the compressions and keeping an accurate rhythm. "Don't give up."

A weak gurgling noise erupted from Connor's mouth as his body jerked suddenly, but he didn't open his eyes or take in a breath.

"Connor?" Pulling back his hands Hank returned his ear to Connor's chest and listened again. At first there was nothing but silence until a single 'thump' sounded off from where the deviant's Thirium pump resided. Keeping his ear down Hank waited and heard a second slow and equally weak 'thump'. "I need a technician here, NOW."

"Lieutenant?"

"...I think it's working."

Cole smiled as he finally pulled Gavin's hand from his eyes. "I told you!"

"Cole he isn't out of the woods yet." Hank cautioned as a paramedic gathered around Hank with her equipment. "He still needs to actually respond."

"My name is Abby Grayson." The paramedic introduced herself and used an emergency blanket to wipe off Connor's river and rain soaked chest as best as she should before applying the wireless sensor pads of their portable Automatic External Defibrillator to his chest. "I work E.M.S. for one more week then I'm going to be a full time technician, I can help him. "She turned on the cardiac monitor attached to the A.E.D. and watched as a weak but still readable heart rhythm appeared on the screen. "Thirial fibrillation. I can fix it." Using the A.E.D. she allowed the device to register and gauge the erratic heartbeat. A corrective shock was recommended. "Everyone get clear now."

As soon as Hank was out of the range of being shocked as well she pressed the button and watched as Connor's body jerked again. As his body spasmed slightly Gavin put his hand back over Cole's eyes and watched as the deviant fell perfectly still again.

"No change." Checking the monitor again Abby saw the same irregular beat and set the A.E.D. for a second charge. "One more time. Get clear."

The second charge caused Connor's body to jerk in the same reaction and more water began to drip from the side of Connor's mouth and out of his nose. Just as Hank was about to begin a third round of compressions Connor suddenly let out a deep gurgling nose and began to choke on the collected water in his mouth, throat and still inside his lungs.

"Roll him!" Abby responded quickly and worked with Hank to roll Connor onto his side as he violently began coughing and throwing-up the collected river water inside his artificial lungs. A torrent of the murky water escaped his mouth in a sickening gush, and soon the water took on a pale blue shade as Thirium began to collect in the water as it was forced from his lungs. "Damn, that was close."

Hank gave Connor a firm smack on his back between his shoulder blades to ensure all of the water was coughed up before he and Abby rolled him onto his back again. Pressing his palm down against Connor's chest Hank felt a weak but distinct 'thump' of the deviant's Thirium pump beginning to react. A second 'thump' followed by a third, fourth and fifth at a more consistent and quicker rate confirmed that Connor's heart was beating again.

"Connor!" Hank almost laughed at the feeling of the deviant's heart beating again. "That's it... Come back to us."

Abby used the stethoscope in her kit of supplies and listened to Connor's chest very intently. "I can't be certain because this isn't as strong as an audioscope, but it sounds like he still has some water collected in his ventilation biocomponents." Moving the bell of the audioscope a little lower over Connor's stomach near the bullet wound she listened again. "There's definitely water still inside his abdominal cavity. It'll need to be drained and the damage repaired by hand so his self-healing program can work on clearing out his lungs."

"...Can you help him?"

"Yes." Abby waved over the technicians who had just arrived in the android unique ambulance and gave Hank a confident stare. "I'll take him to my facility and work on the repairs myself."

"...Thank you."

"Thank your son." She replied as the other two technicians brought over a gurney and placed Connor down onto the rolling stretcher to be transported to the back of the ambulance more efficiently. "I heard what he said. And he's right, by the way. As long as the water can be removed from an android's ventilation biocomponents before any corrosion can occur then an android can be revived from downing without any damage to their systems, or to their intracranial processors."

"...I'll remember that." Looking over at Cole who again pulled Gavin's hand away Hank gave his son an approving smile and nodded. "Which facility are you taking Connor to?"

"Here's my card." Slipping a personalized business card from her jacket pocket over to Hank's hand Abby followed after the gurney and kept tabs on Connor's heartbeat with the A.E.D. in her hands. "Don't rush after us, it'll take some time before he's out of the emergency repair ward and up for seeing visitors."

"We'll be there soon." Hank placed the card into his jean pocket to protect it from the rain and then stood up from the wet riverbank. Brushing the muddy sand from his jeans and off his palms Hank walked over to Cole and put his hand on the little boy's head. "You did good, son. I'm proud of you."

_**...next chapter...** _


	9. Dawn of a Bright Future

Sitting together in the waiting room of the facility Hank kept one arm wrapped protectively around Cole's shoulders as the little boy held onto the still warm cup of hot chocolate with his remaining hand, and hid under Hank's oversized coat. Without Cole's prosthetic arm the little boy felt exposed and didn't want anyone to stare at him. He got enough of that at school when he came back with the plain plastic prosthetic arm, and only felt more secure after Connor gave the prosthetic more upgrades and allowed it to behave more like an actual, functioning arm.

The prosthetic itself had been missing ever since he broke away from Daniel's grip and fled for his life down the bridge.

"You're exhausted." Hank sympathized as Cole let out a yawn and leaned up against Hank's side with utter fatigue. "Why don't you lay down and get some sleep for a few minutes? I'll wake you up as soon as I know anything about Connor."

Too tired to argue Cole finished off his hot chocolate and let Hank take the now empty cup from his hand as he laid down on his side over the hard plastic chairs. Resting his head against Hank's leg Cole fell asleep quickly and didn't budge at even the strangest of sounds as the busy facility tended to other damaged deviants in the facility, or the late spring storm outside that was pelting the building under heavy rain.

"You did good, Cole." Whispering as to not disturb the little boy Hank lightly rubbed his hand up and down Cole's right arm in a comforting manner. "You saved your brother's life tonight."

"Lieutenant?" Gavin's voice whispered toward Hank as he entered the waiting room and noticed Cole was sleeping right beside him. He had a blanket tucked under his arm concealing something that had a very distinct shape. "...Any word on Connor?"

"Not yet." Without jostling Cole laying against his lap Hank turned to look at Gavin as the rain soaked detective spoke to him with genuine worry in his usually stern gray-hazel eyes. It was a nice change to hear Gavin referring to Connor not only as a person, but by his name and not a crude nickname like 'Tinman' or 'plastic'. "He's still receiving repairs. The uh, river water," Hank began to explain in a wary voice as he struggled to keep himself from getting to loud or emotional as he spoke. "filled up his lungs and all of that water needs to be drained, and then he needs to have his lungs dried out. The bullet in his stomach missed everything vital, but it still tore up some Thirium lines that need to be repaired."

"Shit. I can't..." Wary of Cole and not wanting to disturb the little boy Gavin lowered his voice a little more as he spoke with Hank. "...I honestly can't believe that Connor... survived. I know he's strong and can be pretty damn stubborn, but to survive all that: getting shot, falling a couple hundred feet into a cold river and then being pulled out four hours later... It's incredible."

"Connor doesn't give up, and once he sets his mind to something he won't let it go." Looking down at Cole's sleeping face Hank remembered what Connor had told him about the alternate timeline and how Cole had been tragically killed during that car accident all because of the negligence of a single doctor. Knowing that Connor had effectively given up the life that he knew just to give Cole a chance to live spoke volumes of how stubborn and focused he could be. "Trust me on this, Connor isn't going to let one deranged deviant with a grudge take him out. He's been through so much already."

"You, uh, need anything?"

"Just swing by the house and make sure no one found anything explosive, and maybe let the dogs out for a few minutes."

"Dogs? You have another?"

"Cole's new pup. He's a little beagle, not another mass blob of fur like Sumo."

"...Yeah, sure. If I hold my shirt over my face the fur shouldn't bother my allergies."

"Thanks, Reed."

"By the way," passing over the blanket for Hank to take Gavin gave him an odd glance. "we found Cole's prosthetic. It's pretty badly damaged, but we figured it was up to him if he wanted to keep it or not."

"Yeah, we'll take care of that in a moment."

As quickly as he appeared Gavin took his leave of the facility and Hank put Cole's rescued prosthetic down on the chair beside him without even bothering to look at the damaged prosthetic limb. Leaning his head back against the cool wall behind him Hank closed his eyes and tried to get a little sleep without moving around, or disturbing Cole in the process.

Unsure of how low long he had been asleep Hank felt a soft, warm hand on his forearm that gently shook him awake. "Lieutenant Anderson?"

"...Hm? Yeah." Opening his tired blue eyes Hank rubbed his hand over his face as he locked eyes with Abby. The kind technician had sat down in a vacant chair across from Hank so she could look him in the eyes and speak with him directly as she pulled her hand back from Hank's arm. "How's Connor?"

"Out of the repair bay and into the recovery wing."

"Thank fuck. How bad?"

"Not as bad as I had initially feared." Noticing Cole still sleeping beside Hank she whispered and informed Hank about Connor's condition. "We drained all of the river water from his ventilation biocomponents and sterilized the interior and exterior of his chest and abdominal cavities to ensure all of the water was removed, and no corrosion can take place. We also repaired the bullet wound to his abdomen without any difficulty. The affected lines were repaired, the plastimetal panel over his abdomen was repaired and his Thirium was replenished."

"Can we see him?"

"Connor's still in stasis mode at the moment." Abby replied with a somewhat uneasy look in her eyes, and in her voice. "You can sit with him in the recovery room but he won't be awake for a while."

"How long is he going to be out of it?"

"Anywhere between three and thirty hours."

"...Seriously?"

"He sustained a lot of damage to his ventilation biocomponents. Also, he isn't breathing on his own right now. There's an external ventilator currently breathing for him to help his ventilation biocomponents to drain the remaining water, and keep his core temperature low." Giving Hank a reassuring grin Abby kept her tone optimistic. "Once the ventilator is removed he's going to need to be kept under cooling blankets and ice packets until his system is strong enough to breathe for him again, and reboot his thermal regulator to prevent overheating."

"So he's kind of on android life support?"

"Something like that."

Glancing down at Cole beside him Hank sighed a little and rubbed his hand over his bearded chin in deep thought. "Does he look rough?"

"No worse than a human on life support."

"Shit. Cole's going to want to see him, but I don't think he should."

"Cole seems to be very mature for someone his age. Maybe you should ask if he wants to see Connor or not."

"Yeah, good point."

"I'll be behind the desk so you can talk to him and ask. When you're ready to see Connor let me know."

Nodding a little as Abby walked away Hank put his hand back on Cole's arm and gave him a light shake. "Cole? Cole, wake up."

The little boy opened his eyes and looked up at Hank, his eyes squinting in the bright overhead lights of the waiting room. "...Dad?"

"Hey, I just got word on Connor."

Sitting up quickly Cole rubbed his tired eyes with his hand and was fully awake. "Where is he?"

"He's in the recovery wing right now, but he's still not awake yet."

"Can we see him?"

"In a minute. I just want you to know that when we go to see him he's going to be hooked up to a ventilator to help him breathe, and he won't be able to breathe on his own for a while."

"...It's because of the water he breathed in, right?"

"That's right. He'll be out of it for a while still, but we can sit with him for a while."

"Then let's go see him!"

"Hold on, Cole." Putting his hand on Cole's shoulder Hank leveled off his voice as he kept his tone stern. "I want you to understand that Connor isn't going to look like himself, and he won't be able to wake up and talk to us when we go in to see him. He's going to look really rough and pretty sick."

"I get it, dad. He's hurt and needs to get better." Standing up from the chair Cole pulled Hank's coat tighter around himself to keep his missing arm concealed as he waited for Hank to join him. "Please? I just want to see Connor."

"...Okay." As much as he dreaded seeing Connor so beaten up and weak Hank knew it needed to be done, and he knew Cole wasn't going to leave without seeing his brother. Standing up slowly Hank put his hand on Cole's hair and nodded over at Abby behind the desk. "Let's go and see your brother."

Abby noticed Hank's gesture and walked over to the only two occupants in the waiting room and readily escorted them down the corridor and lead them to the recovery wing. "Right this way."

Hank quickly picked up the blanket wrapped around Cole's prosthetic arm and tucked it under his own arm as he and Cole followed after Abby. The structure and overall layout of the android facility was eerily similar to that of a human hospital, and even had the same aroma of astringent, cleaners and chemicals that gave every hospital that distinct odor of cleanliness mixed with medicine.

"Like I said," Abby decided to repeat herself more for Cole's sake than for Hank. "Connor isn't going to be breathing on his own, and he won't be able to respond to you or answer any questions. It's going to be like he's asleep and very sick at the same time."

"Yeah, I've seen more than my fair share of cops laid-up in hospital beds." The gruff Lieutenant lamented as he and Cole stopped outside of a private room at the end of the corridor. The room had a large glass window and door that were frosted over to keep anyone from peering inside. "It never gets any easier, but it's a lot better than attending a funeral or a wake." Rubbing his hand over Cole's hair again Hank quickly tagged on another statement. "Not that we'll have to worry about that for decades to come."

Abby pressed her palm on the electronic panel beside the closed door to unlock it for the two guests. "You two can stay as long as you like, facilities don't have visiting hours like hospitals." The door slid open and as it did the frosted opaque layer over the glass disappeared. "There's also a phone on the table that connects directly to the front desk if you need anything, and there's an emergency button on the wall just in case."

"Right, thanks." Hank stepped into the room with Cole right beside him. Keeping his hand on Cole's hair he waited for the little boy to react first before he made another move. "...Cole, are you okay?"

Cole just stared at the bed where Connor was laying slightly propped upright but still on his back, disturbingly pale and looking nearly dead. Connor was wearing pale blue scrubs in place of his river soaked clothing, and he had a Thirium pressure cuff wrapped around his left bicep. Just as Abby had told them earlier there was indeed a ventilator breathing for Connor, and as such there was a tube snaked down the deviant android's throat in an unnerving manner. There was an android unique cardiac monitor beside the bed recording Connor's vital signs with wireless sensor pads attached to the deviant's chest, and emitting a rhythmic beep that was synchronized with Connor's heartbeat.

"Cole?" Hank whispered again as the door behind them closed and the opaque frosting returned to the glass. "You don't have to be here if your don't want to."

"...I want to stay."

"Alright then." Walking over to the bed slowly Hank put his hand on Connor's shoulder and addressed the deviant in a calm voice. "Hi, son. We're here for you, and we'll be here when you wake up." Pulling over a chair from beside the wall Hank took a seat and kept speaking to Connor while watching Cole from the corner of his eye. Placing the blanket with the prosthetic over his lap Hank leaned forward a little and cleared his throat. "I'm not sure if you remember what happened last evening, but you did good. You saved Cole's life, and then he saved yours. You're both a pretty amazing pair of brothers."

Connor remained quiet and still in the bed as the ventilator breathed for him. The artificial external breaths were the only sign of motion from the injured deviant as his system struggled to run its self-healing program at its maximum capacity. As he was unable to breathe on his own Connor was fully dependent on the ventilator to keep cool air circulating through his ventilation biocomponents, and do the work his thermal regulator could not.

"You're lucky that bullet missed everything when it hit ya', but then again you're also lucky that Cole knew what to do after you were pulled out of the river. We were all ready to declare you long gone, but Cole didn't want to give up on ya'. It's a good thing he didn't."

Feeling a little out of place Cole finally approached the bed and stood beside Connor. "...Can he hear us?"

"Maybe. There's only one way to find out."

"...What do I say?"

"Whatever you want. Just talk to him as you normally would."

Cole stared at Connor's face for only a moment before he finally spoke up. "...H-Hi, Connor. You saved me. I'm okay."

Despite the familiar voices Connor react or move in the slightest.

"I got away and got to dad, but I lost my arm. Maybe you can help me make another."

"Oh, right." Hank unwrapped the blanket and showed Cole his prosthetic limb that had been retrieved from the bridge. "Gavin brought this while you were sleeping. It's here and in rough shape." The limb didn't have the artificial skin allowing it's pure plastimetal white framing to be exposed. There were a few dents on the forearm just below the wrist where Daniel had been squeezing with a damaging grip, and the abrupt jerking motion to get away from Daniel, followed by the crash to the ground had severed the main Thirium intake valve and allowed all of the collected blue blood to leak out. "We might have to go ahead and replace it."

"No!" Cole snatched the limb and the blanket from Hank's reach and held it against is chest. "I need to keep it."

"Cole, you'd have to get it replaced eventually. You can't keep the same sized prosthetic well into adulthood, you know."

"No! I won't get rid of it!"

"It's okay, son. You don't have to do anything, tonight."

"I mean ever!" Walking around the bed to stand on the other side Cole sat down in the second chair and held his prosthetic arm close. "I'm not going to ever get rid of this."

"Why? Your don't need-"

"It's important!"

"...Cole," the outburst wasn't like him and Hank needed to figure out why he was so upset. Remaining where he sat Hank locked eyes with his youngest son and gently pressed the matter. "please tell me why it's so important."

"...You wouldn't understand."

"Then help me to understand. Please?"

"...This is what makes me and Connor brothers."

"What? How?"

"...At the science fair I need more Thirium in my arm. Connor gave me some of his Thirium and that made us real brothers."

Smirking at the sweetness of the moment that he had missed out on Hank bowed and shook his head a little. "Cole, you don't need to have the same blood to be brothers. Me and Connor don't have the same blood, but he's still my son just like you are." Pointing at the damage on the prosthetic limb Hank managed to draw Cole's eye to the severed Thirium line. "Besides, all the Thirium leaked out when it got busted up. I'm sure when Connor wakes up he'll give you more Thirium so you can stay blood brothers. Okay?"

Cole didn't say anything as he just held onto the prosthetic and stared at Connor's face. "Maybe."

"I know it won't be too comfortable in here," motioning to the room with a casual wave of his hands and shrug of his shoulders Hank leaned back in his chair but kept his hand on Connor's arm. "but we should try to get some sleep. The chairs are no substitute for a bed, but I know I won't be able to sleep at the house with Connor still here."

Nodding a little Cole pulled his chair up closer to the side of the bed and then pulled his legs up so he curl up into a ball and lay on his side in the chair as comfortably as possible. "...Goodnight, Connor. Goodnight, dad."

"Goodnight, sons." Ignoring the horrible events that had transpired for the sake of sleep Hank closed his eyes and tried to get some rest. "Everything should be better in the morning."

* * *

Neither Hank or Cole slept well in the hard plastic chairs. The stiff seating was a literal pain in Hank's back, while the smaller s[ace was too small even for Cole to lay down in comfortably. Some time during the restless night Cole lost grip on the prosthetic and just chose to wrap the blanket around himself to try to keep warm, even with Hank's coat still draped over him. Just as Hank felt himself drifting off to sleep he was suddenly awoken when Cole let out a frightened whimper, causing Hank to walk up with a start.

"Cole?" Getting up from his chair he walked over to the other side of the bed and knelt down in front of Cole worriedly. Pressing his palm to Cole's forehead Hank brushed back a sweat short strands of dark hair and called Cole's name. "Cole, it's okay. It's just a bad dream."

Sitting up quickly Cole dragged his hand over his eyes to wipe away his tears, and he let Hank wrap his arms around him in a reassuring hug.

"What did you dream about?"

"...I was on the bridge." Cole whimpered as he looked over Hank's shoulder and to Connor still laying motionless in the bed. "This time Connor wasn't there and you weren't-"

"Hey, it's okay." Rubbing his hand gently up and down Cole's back Hank soothed his son's worries as much as possible. "It was just a nightmare. It's over and you'll never have to go through that again. I promise."

Cole only nodded as he dragged his hand over his eyes and then his nose as he tried to dry his own tears.

"Think you can go back to sleep?"

"...No."

"Me neither." Patting Cole's back a little Hank stood up and held Cole in his arms. "I know you're getting to be too big to sleep in a bed with someone after a nightmare, but I think in this case Connor wouldn't mind." Lightly he placed Cole down so he was laying beside Connor without obstructing the ventilator line or disturbing the deviant. "Try to fall back asleep." Picking up the blanket that Cole had been previously wrapped up in Hank draped it over both of his sons and returned to his seat beside the bed. "In the morning I'll see if I can get someone to bring us something to eat so we don't have to leave the facility."

"...What about Judo and Sumo? We can't just ignore them."

"Don't worry about them. Gavin stopped by the house to feed them, give them some fresh water, let them outside and play with them for a while. They're safe, warm and well fed."

"...Okay."

"Get some sleep, Cole. You won't have anymore nightmares with both me and Connor right here beside you."

Too tired to argue or resist the temptation of sleep Cole's eyes fell shut and he quickly fell into a steady breathing pattern as drifted off quickly.

Hank was trying to do the same thing when the door quietly slid open and Abby stepped inside to check on Connor's condition. "No change?" She whispered as she checked the cardiac monitor then lifted Connor's eyelids one at a time to shine her penlight into his pupils. "Nothing at all?"

"No. Connor's been the same since you showed us in here."

"Honestly, I'm not surprised." Pocketing her light Abby took notice of Cole sleeping in the bed beside Connor and gave the little boy a warm smile. "It was a tough day for all of you, huh?"

"Yup. That's one way to put it."

"I think Cole would like a chocolate chip muffin in the morning. I get them from the overpriced bakery down the street, so they better be good!"

"Thanks, I think he'd like that."

As she leaned over to check the ventilator that was still breathing for Connor as the deviant healed Abby noticed the damaged prosthetic arm on the floor and picked it up curiously. "...Uh, should I ask about this?"

"It's Cole's arm. It was damaged during the incident."

"Ah. I'm just glad I wasn't going to find more random android parts strewn about the facility." Eyeing the prosthetic as she held the limb in her hands Abby tilted her head a little and sighed. "You know, I can get this restored back to how it should be in just a couple of hours."

"You've done enough. Don't you ever go home and get some sleep?"

"You mean don't I ever 'go apartment', and yeah, when my patients wake up I 'go apartment' and go to sleep."

"So you're just hanging around here until Connor wakes up, too, huh?"

"Yup. Don't worry, I'm getting pay the entire time so I'm good." Hanging onto the prosthetic Abby quietly took her leave of the room with the intention of repairing Cole's arm as much as possible before the little boy awoke in the morning. "By the way, that detective who was here earlier..."

"Gavin."

"Gavin. He seems... I dunno... single."

"Uh, yeah. Please don't tell me you fell for his fake charm and forced niceness."

"Of course not, I can read people pretty damn well thanks to six years as an E.M.S. in Chicago. I know when someone is putting up a false front, even when they're trying to be nice during a stressful time. I'm not drawn to fake personalities." Putting her free hand to the electronic panel beside the door she gave Hank a sly glance over her shoulder. "But I _am_ drawn to tight butts!"

Hank just shook his head as the technician took her leave of the room and he returned his attention to his sons. "Man, I'm going to lost my mind when you two start dating or bringing people home. I'm too old to go through that kind of shit again."

* * *

A quiet morning was met with bittersweet news from Captain Fowler when he arrived to check in on Connor, and to inform Hank about the progress on their investigation into the incident on the bridge. Two hours after Connor was found in the river the search and rescue divers found Daniel's body and discovered that while in the water Daniel pressed the barrel of the gun up to his chin and pulled the trigger, effectively self-destructing. There was no need to try to revive the dangerous deviant as the damage was significant.

They had also arrested the school security guards that had failed to protect Cole due to being high, and for abusing narcotics on school grounds. Numerous charges were being pressed against the useless guards, and they'd spend numerous years in prison for their crimes. The school had also agreed to allow police officers to patrol the school until the end of the school year as a precaution.

While the news on a professional manner was beneficial it did little to sway Cole's worries or ease his guilt for getting tricked by Daniel. No matter what Hank said or what he tried to do to help his youngest son it just wasn't enough to make Cole feel any better.

Sitting on the edge of the bed beside Connor the little boy patiently watched as Abby reattached his repaired prosthetic arm and urged him to flex his fingers, or his wrist. Making a halfhearted attempt to move the limb Cole had no interest in the arm now that he knew Connor's Thirium was no longer coursing through the lines.

"How does that feel, Cole?" Gently Abby checked the connection coupling and made sure his arm wasn't getting infected from prolonged contact to the metal and plastimetal of the prosthetic limb. "Does it hurt?"

"...No." Cole was still staring at Connor's face and waiting for the deviant to finally wake up.

"That's good. Do you want to move it for me?"

"No."

"...Alright. Your dad is down in the breakroom getting something to eat, do you at least want to have a muffin?"

"No."

"Okay." Abby was at a loss of what to do to help the little boy since she had more experience dealing with stubborn adults than she did stubborn kids. "More muffins for me then."

"When will Connor wake up?"

"Soon." Taking her audioscope from around her neck Abby put the ear pieces into place and then pressed the bell of the instrument against Connor's chest. Listening careful to the sound of cool air circulating through his ventilation biocomponents and to the rate of which his Thirium pump was beating Abby decided it was time to remove the ventilator and let Connor breathe on his own. "...I can take out the tube now. It won't look pretty though."

"And he'll wake up?"

"He'll start to breathe again." Abby tried to reassure while remaining entirely honest with Cole. "He'll wake up faster this way." Returning the audioscope around her neck Abby gently tilted back the bed so Connor was laying almost entirely flat. "You should wait outside for a few minutes." Unclipping the end of the ventilator from the tube running down the deviant's throat Abby prepared to remove the tube and free Connor's throat of the device. "This part is always a little gross."

"Is it gonna' hurt him?"

"No, but it will be uncomfortable."

"I wanna' stay."

"Are you sure?"

"Yeah." Cole put his hand on Connor's forearm just above his wrist as he nervously watched Abby remove the securing straps keeping the tube in place as it snaked down Connor's throat. "I'm not going."

"...Okay. Don't look." Abby carefully slid out the tube from Connor's throat at a steady and gentle pace as to not hurt his throat or his accidentally damage his teeth as the clear, flexible tube was removed. In an almost laughably easy motion the tube was removed and Connor's throat was cleared. "...Got it."

Cole hadn't dared to look when Abby removed the tube, but he was well aware of how hurt Connor truly had been in that moment. Feeling like he was responsible for Connor being injured the little boy's eyes drifted up from Connor's arm to Connor's face. Watching as Abby used a clean tissue to wipe away the trace amounts of Thirium that were staining Connor's mouth and lips, then repositioning Connor so he was propped upright again Cole nervously waited for the deviant to start breathing again.

"The hard part's over." Replacing her audioscope to her ears and to Connor's chest Abby patiently waited for the deviant to take in a breath, and kept her palm over Connor's abdomen to feel for any motion. The deviant seemed to be unwilling to breathe and very steadily a heat was beginning to radiate from his skin as he began to overheat. "Come on, Connor. You need to breathe now."

"...Connor?"

There was a brief pause before suddenly took in a deep breath and let it out slowly. He took in a second breath and fairly easily settled into a steady, healthy breathing pattern right before Abby and Cole's eyes.

Abby nodded and let out her own breath as she moved the audioscope around Connor's chest and listened to each breath very carefully. "...No crackling sound of lingering water or corrosion. No physical distress or congestion." Moving the bell up a little higher and toward the central left portion of his chest she listened to Connor's heart a second time. "Normal Thirium pump rate."

Cole didn't say anything, he just stared at Connor as he laid completely helpless and unconscious in the bed beside him.

Taking notice of Cole's fears, the raw emotion was plain to see in his blue eyes, Abby tried a new approach. "Hey, Cole. Wanna' hear something cool?"

The frightened little boy just gave Abby a confused look and didn't say anything.

Removing her audioscope Abby slipped the earbuds into Cole's ears and put the bell of the device back on Connor's chest directly over the deviant's thumping Thirium pump. "Do you hear that?"

Cole nodded a little as he stared at Connor's face confusedly.

"That's Connor's heartbeat." She smiled and watched as Cole's eyes briefly lit up. "He's still alive and he's going to be just fine."

Finally showing a modicum of relief with a ghost of a grin on his face Cole relaxed his tense shoulders and nodded again.

"Now, that he's taken care of," she gently took the earbuds of the audioscope out of Cole's ears and slung the audioscope around her neck casually. "it's your turn."

"What do you mean?"

"You need to get something to eat so you don't feel sick. You don't have to eat anything you don't want, but you need to eat something."

"...Okay."

"Good. Stay here with Connor and I'll see if I can find you something good in the breakroom." As Abby crossed the room to get to the door it slid open from the other side as Hank returned to the room with a small paper boy of gathered snacks already. "...Then again, it looks like your dad beat me to the punch."

"How's Connor?" Hank asked as Abby stopped before him and gave him a cheesy grin. "Better?"

"Tube's out and he's breathing on his own. He'll be waking up in a couple of hours now."

"'Bout damn time. Thanks for the good news." Taking a sip of his coffee still steaming from the styrofoam cup Hank nodded at Cole still sitting on the bed right beside Connor. "And how's Cole?"

"Still upset, but now that Connor's breathing I think he's starting to feel better."

"And his arm?"

"Reattached, but he won't move it around and let me recalibrate it."

"Not surprised. He'll be more cooperative when Connor wakes up."

"I'm sure he will. I'll be making my rounds if you need anything."

"Right. Thanks for your help, Abby." Walking over to the bed Hank returned to his chair beside the bed and placed the small bag of gathered snacks on the table beside the bed for Cole to check out. "Connor looks a lot better without the tube in his throat, huh, Cole?"

"Yeah. He's breathing and he doesn't need any help to do it."

"See? He's getting better." Opening up the paper bag Hank pulled out a few muffins, doughnuts and pieces of fruit for Cole to choose from. He even managed to put a plastic cup of orange juice inside the bag without spilling it. "Take your pick, son. I grabbed one of each flavor so you don't have an excuse not to eat at least one thing."

"Okay." Sliding over so his legs can fall over the edge of the bed Cole used his functioning right hand to pick up a chocolate doughnut and finally began to eat in a slow, meticulous manner. "Thanks."

"Sure. I bumped into Gavin at the breakroom when I was getting all this stuff, he said Sumo and Judo were good all night long. Only one mess, but he cleaned it up for us."

"...Can we bring them here?"

"Sorry, son. Dog fur can get everywhere and in a place where there's delicate equipment around they don't need that kind of a mess to deal with."

"Can we take Connor back home, then?"

"After he wakes up. We shouldn't risk moving him around and away from technicians just yet."

Cole nodded again as he finished off his doughnut and then picked up the orange juice. "I wish I knew when he'd wake up."

"Me too. But just like when anyone else gets hurt or sick it's going to take some time for him to heal."

"What if Connor doesn't remember us when he wakes up? What if he has messed up memories again like when he got really sick with a fever a while back?"

"Trust me, Cole." Putting his hand on Cole's hair Hank held his hand there and smiled at his youngest son. "He'll remember us. Especially you!"

* * *

The waiting game was as exhausting as it was boring.

Cole had fallen back asleep on the bed beside Connor and Hank spoke with Captain Fowler just outside the room regarding the incident. Seeing as the hostage situation involved the family members of the hostage being on the police force a lot of loose ends needed to be tied up before anyone screamed conspiracy against androids and a police cover-up, and it was best that both Hank and Connor step aside to allow other detectives to handle the case as a whole strictly as a professional caution.

During that time Markus had stopped by the facility to check in on Connor, and see how well he was recovering. Keeping his voice quiet as to not disturb Cole while he slept right beside Connor the deviant leader retracted the artificial skin from his hand and took hold of Connor's hand in a gentle grip. Closing his eyes Markus connected cybernetically with the downed deviant and checked his memory.

The images of Daniel threatening Cole, then Connor and brandishing a gun were beyond unsettling. However it was the images of Connor and Daniel fighting for the gun, falling over the edge of the bridge and continuing their struggle in the murky water was even worse. It was like a horrible nightmare watching Connor through his own eyes as he fought to get the gun from Daniel's grip, but failing to do so before the deviant turned the gun on himself was absolutely heartbreaking.

"...Shit." Letting go of Connor's hand Markus quietly took his leave of the room to allow his friend to continue to rest. "Don't worry, Connor. We know you tried to save Daniel from himself. But I guess it's true; some people just don't want to be saved."

"Markus?" Hank had returned to the room and noticed Markus standing beside the bed and looking over Connor's resting form. "Is something wrong?"

"No. I just wanted to see Connor and figure out what happened on the bridge."

"...Find anything useful?"

"Only proof that Daniel was determined to die."

"Damn it."

"I got a glimpse at Connor's internal system." The kind deviant leader began again with a whispering voice. "He'll be rebooting in two hours, seventeen minutes and twenty-two seconds."

"Good! It's about time we got some confirmation on him coming around." Rubbing his hand over the back of his neck Hank gave Markus an uneasy glance. "Uh, you saw what happened, so that means Connor's memories are still intact, right?""

"Yeah, of course. Why?"

Hank glanced over at Cole and gave his youngest son a subtle nod. "Cole was worried that Connor would forget about us."

"No way. Connor wouldn't do anything to risk his memory."

"And, uh, I know about the... 'alternate timeline'." As soon as he saw Markus's reaction Hank knew for certain that as wild as it was to believe Connor had in fact been telling the entire truth when he had told him about the little twist in time he performed a few months back. Connor had saved Cole, not once, but twice now. "...Did anything like this happen, you know, over there?"

"...No. My own memories of the alternate timeline are still active, and I can confirm that nothing like this had happened with your family and a deranged deviant."

"Good... I'd hate to think this shit was destined to happen over and over again."

"Same here. It's going to be difficult to explain to the people that one dangerous deviant doesn't represent all the deviants in the city."

"Well, don't worry about it. It was the feds who were supposed to take care of Daniel and the other deviants who were kept in the evidence rooms of precincts all across the country. Since they fucked up and couldn't be bothered to take care of the precinct that was at 'ground zero' of the Revolution means none of the deviants in the city are going to be frowned upon. The cops though... That's another matter."

"No, Lieutenant. We won't let that happen."

"Call me 'Hank'. And thanks, Markus." Giving the deviant leader a light pat to the side of his arm Hank showed true camaraderie toward the kind hearted and compassionate deviant leader. "Nice to know you're willing to trust us."

"Always."

"As for Connor," sighing a little Hank rubbed his hand through his hair nervously. "I just hope this shit doesn't affect him on a traumatic level. And poor Cole is going to need some help for a couple of months so he doesn't get scarred by everything that went down. If anything happens to Connor then I know that Cole is going to never forgive himself."

"They're that close, huh?"

"Yup. Connor is Cole's hero."

"No..." Giving Hank a slight shake of his head Markus crossed his arms over his chest as he spoke up somewhat sternly. "Connor's his best friend, _you're_ his hero. I can tell by the way he acts and wants to spend all his time with both of you."

"Yeah? Think we can still be a strong family after going through all this?"

"Absolutely. I know Connor is too stubborn to let something like that go, and I get the feeling Cole isn't going to, either."

Hank grinned a little and gave the deviant a casual tilt of the head. "Why don't you head back to New Jericho Tower and help keep things in line while we're waiting for Connor to wake up. I'll let you know if something happens."

"Yeah, that's a good idea. Take care, Hank." Turning to look at the two brothers laying in the bed Markus smirked at the sight of the adoptive brothers who were clearly very close, and helped to create a small but carrying family in the Anderson household. "I'll see you soon, Connor. Cole, you take care of him."

Reclaiming his seat by the bed Hank pulled his phone from his pocket to set up a timer to awaken him in two hours but something interesting caught his eye. It was an unread message sent to his phone that had been sent to him the previous evening during the incident on the bridge. The message itself had been sent to him by Connor.

Reading over the previously unnoticed text message Hank let out a weary sigh and put his hand back on Connor's shoulder lightly. "...We love you, too, son."

* * *

Outside the city the streets were filled with confusion as the drama on the bridge had resulted in mass confusion and worry. The precinct had the misfortune of handling everything and giving as much information to the media as possible to ensure no unfounded rumors or lies caused any damage to the shaken city's already delicate peace that existed between the humans and the deviants. Anything could see off the powder keg of tension building beneath the city, and if people believed that a deviant taking a little boy hostage could become an everyday occurrence than everything could blow any any moment.

Captain Fowler had made it perfectly clear that Daniel was a heavily damaged deviant who had a history of violence, and he emphasized that his grievance was with authority and not humans. The only reason that Cole, whose name was kept anonymous the entire interview, was taken was because he had wanted to help someone in need; he wasn't forcefully abducted or lied to. He also made sure to let the media know that the officer who responded to the incident was also a deviant and a member of the police force.

The confirmation of Daniel's demise seemed to be the only thing that made people feel safe, and the unfortunate reality of the death of a deviant being a comfort coaxed Markus into speaking to the media as well.

While the information did help ease the tension in the city it did little to ease the lengthy wait for any response from Connor as he remained in emergency stasis mode and healed.

Waking up to the sound of his phone buzzing beside him Hank opened his eyes, silenced his phone and slipped it back into his pocket as he looked over at Connor and Cole sleeping in the bed and sighed. Returning his hand to Connor's shoulder Hank spoke to him in a low voice and just hoped he'd get a response soon.

"Connor? Can you hear me, son?"

The deviant stayed quiet.

"We're both right here waiting for you to open your eyes. Don't keep us waiting too long, okay?"

Cole heard Hank's voice and wake up with a sleepy yawn. "...Dad?"

"Right here, Cole."

The little boy glanced over at Connor's face and was disappointed to see that he was still sleeping. "...Connor didn't wake up."

"Not yet."

"What time is it?"

"It's just past noon. You were out of it for a while."

"...I was tired."

"Yeah, I get it. You'll feel a lot better and sleep better when we're back home and you're back in your own bed, and you have Judo to cuddle with."

"I'm not going back home until Connor does."

"Me neither." As Hank spoke with Cole he felt a slight twitch under his palm and noticed that Connor's arm had moved slightly. Keeping his hand on the deviant's shoulder Hank addressed Connor in a calm voice. "...Connor? Connor, can you hear me?"

"Is he waking up?" Cole asked as his eyes went wide and he stared at Connor's face intensely.

"Maybe. Connor?" Hank tried again and was answered with a gentle fluttering of Connor's eyelids. "Come on, son, wake up. Can you hear me?"

The deviant's head lolled a little and his hand twitched again. Cole grabbed onto Connor's hand with his own and held tight as Hank kept speaking to Connor in a level tone of voice.

"Connor. Please? Open your eyes and look at us." Hank glanced up at the cardiac monitor and saw that Connor's vital signs were still the same, but the deviant was evidently still rebooting. "Give us some kind of sign, son. We know you're there."

Connor responded by reflexively squeezing Cole's hand and his eyelids cracked open to reveal glassy brown irises.

"Connor?"

"...D-Dad?"

Hearing Connor referring to him as 'dad' rather than his first name did the gruff Lieutenant's heart some much needed good. "Right here, son. Cole's here, too."

Connor's eyes opened a little wider and his irises cleared up and became steadily more vibrant. "...Cole?"

"...Hi, Connor." The little boy responded sheepishly, if not fearfully. "I'm here."

Connor blinked once and looked at Cole's face as if needing to recognize his own little brother. "...Cole." Letting out a weak sigh Connor blinked again and put his hand down heavily on Cole's prosthetic arm. "...You're safe."

"You saved me!"

"...And you saved me."

Cole stared blankly at Connor's face in utter confusion. "...What do you mean?"

"...I heard what... dad told me." Connor's voice was a little hoarse but it was regaining strength with each word he spoke. "You saved my life. Encouraged him to not give up on me, performed C.P.R. and... revived me."

"You heard us talking?"

"...Mostly. I know you..." Lowering his gaze to Cole's prosthetic arm Connor sighed and retracted the skin from his hand. "need more Thirium in your arm."

"I want us to be blood brothers again."

"We're brothers no matter what, Cole." Connor reassured him in a gentle tone. "It doesn't matter whose blood runs in our veins."

"...You saved my life." Cole was beginning to cry a little and his voice was cracking. "You saved me!"

Hank put his hand on Cole's shoulder while Connor tightened his hand around Cole's hand and over his arm. "It's okay, Cole. You're safe."

"You got shot because of me!"

It pained Connor to see Cole so torn up and emotionally destroyed by everything that happened. Acting on a strange and unspoken instinct Connor lifted up his hand to hold onto the sobbing little boy's shoulder and pulled Cole down against him for a hug. Ignoring the lingering pain in his abdomen from being shot, and ignoring his own physical weakness Connor tried to comfort Cole as best as he could.

"I'm okay, Cole. You didn't do anything wrong." Moving his hand over to Cole's back Connor held Cole in a reassuring hug. "You aren't responsible for this, Daniel is the one who's responsible."

"I'm sorry!"

"Don't be sorry. It's okay, _we're_ okay."

Hank stood up from the chair and put his hand on Cole's back right next to Connor's hand in a comforting manner. "He's right, Cole. We're all here and we're all okay. In a few hours we'll all be home, too."

"We're going home." Connor reaffirmed as he held Cole in a firm hug. "...Together."

_**...next chapter...** _


	10. An Endless Tomorrow

After being given the clear Connor was released from the facility and allowed to return home under the strict instructions he continue to rest, and didn't do anything physically exerting that could re-injure his abdomen after being shot. Android self-healing programs are beyond incredible and often times are superior to that of a human's own immune system, but without CyberLife actively monitoring android software and updating their programs at the earliest opportunity many androids; especially prototypes, needed to take extra precautions to keep their systems up to date and functioning at optimal capacity.

Leaning against Hank's right shoulder Connor slowly walked toward the front door of the house with his hand pressed warily against the still healing bullet wound in his abdomen, and followed after Cole as the little boy ran to the front door and used Hank's keys to unlock it. As the door was pushed open Cole stood just inside the living room and held Sumo by his collar to keep the large dog from either running outside or jumping up on Connor.

"Take it nice and slow, son." Hank urged as he helped guide the deviant inside the house and shut the door behind them with a casual kick of his foot. Everyone was exhausted and needed to sleep, but everyone was also wound up and needed to let out their nervous, pent up energy. "Do you want to lay down on the couch or in your own bed?"

"Bed, please."

"No problem. Come on."

"I can make it on my own."

"Nope. I'll keep helping you." Patting his hand on Connor's shoulder Hank guided the deviant toward the staircase and helped Connor to ascend the stairs to the second floor where everyone's bedroom was located. Guiding his wounded son into the bedroom and over to the bed Hank helped Connor to sit down on the edge of the bed for a moment before the deviant laid back over the bed and rested his head on the pillow. "Need anything?"

"...Thirium."

"I gotcha' covered. I'll be back in a minute."

Connor nodded as he laid back and breathed slowly. Pulling up hi shirt by the hem he looked down at his abdomen where there wasn't a sign of a wound or even a scar; just fair artificial skin dotted with a few freckles, the deviant ran a scan over the affected area and determined his status to be stable but not optimal.

"...Connor?" Cole's voice called out to the deviant from the still opened doorway as he peeked inside the bedroom. "...Are you okay?"

"Cole, I'm fine." Putting his shirt back down Connor gave the little boy a reassuring grin. "I can assure you that I've been through worse and I'm still here."

Cole gave Connor a silent and wary nod as he stared at the floor for a moment.

"Come here."

Looking up at Connor for a moment Cole's eyes drifted back to the floor as if feeling guilty. Walking over to the bed Cole stood it and almost jumped when Connor suddenly wrapped his arm around Cole's shoulders and pulled him in for a hug.

"We're both okay, that's all that matters."

Sumo trotted into the bedroom and a few seconds later Judo did the the same. As the dogs gathered in the bedroom Hank walked through the doorway with a bottle of Thirium in one hand and an ice pack in the other. "I had to let Judo out of his kennel so he can burn off his energy. Hope you don't mind the company, Connor."

"It's never a problem."

"Here's your Thirium and I brought you some ice. I know it doesn't do much for android pain, but I had to at least offer."

"Thank you." Sitting upright on his bed a little while keeping his arm around Cole's shoulders Connor accepted the ice pack and put it over his abdomen as a show of good faith, and then accepted the Thirium. "How long until I'm permitted to return to the precinct?"

"One week."

"That seems excessive."

"Not really. The usual protocol for a wounded officer is two weeks for physical recovery and one more week for a mental recovery after being injured in the line of duty."

"Mental recovery?"

"You can't just as like what happened to you didn't happen." Sitting down on the edge of the bed beside Cole without jostling him, and lightly put his hand on Cole's back in a comforting manner. "You _both_ went through some pretty terrible things recently. Maybe you _both_ should talk to a therapist a couple times just to make sure you're _both_ really okay."

Connor quickly picked up on Hank's hinting and knew it was something that he'd need to do for the sake of Cole's own health. "...Of course. I will speak to a therapist regarding the incident on the bridge, and... I'll talk to them about my encounter with Zlatko. There is no shame in seeking help."

"Yeah..." Giving Cole a somber look Hank sighed and remembered that he too had some pain and issues he needed to work out. "I guess I could have a little sit down and talk about Barbara. It's been so long..." With his hand still on Cole's back Hank pressed the matter a little further. "And while we're doing our thing Cole can do his own. We'll all have a talk with a therapist and make sure we all put this horrible event behind us. Right where it belongs."

When Cole's tense shoulders finally relaxed Connor lessened his grip and Cole stood upright and just stared at Connor's face blankly.

"Tomorrow we should spend the day speaking to a therapist," Hank continued as he patted Cole's shoulder lightly. "and make sure none of us are going to have nightmares or misplaced guilt and anger."

Agreeing readily Connor opened the lid on the bottle of offered Thirium and drank a small amount. "Yes. That's will be for the best." Downing a little more of the Thirium the healing deviant looked at Cole's prosthetic arm as the little boy let the heavy limb just hand from his arm and shoulder almost completely forgotten. "Cole, does your arm need more Thirium?"

The little boy was almost ashamed to answer. "...All the Thirium you gave me leaked out."

"That's okay." Retracting the skin of his left hand and forearm Connor slid open the panel protecting the limb and motioned for Cole to sit back down on the edge of the bed beside him. "I can give it back. That's what brothers do, right?"

For the first time in almost two days Cole's eyes lit up and he happily sat down beside Connor. "Yeah."

Hank just silently watched as Connor connected a line from his arm to a line in Cole's prosthetic arm, then flexed his hand to pump some of his freshly circulated Thirium from his arm right into Cole's arm. "...Blood brothers again."

Connor gave Hank a somewhat sly grin as he scanned the prosthetic and continued to deliver Thirium from his arm over to Cole and waited for the reserves to reach one-hundred percent. "We're brothers no matter what."

As the Thirium entered Cole's prosthetic arm Cole began to gently flexed his fingers and roll his wrist to test his range of motion and his strength. "It's working, I can move my arm again."

"Can you still activate your artificial skin?"

Cole looked at the small switch on the back of his arm and hovered his fingers over it for a moment. "I don't want to."

"You don't have to, I just wanted to make sure the option is still available." Detecting a full reserve of Thirium in Cole's arm Connor detached the lines and returned the panel over Cole's arm and then his own. Finishing off the Thirium in the bottle Connor topped off his own reserves and watched as Cole flexed his arm around. "Now we're both one-hundred percent."

"Yeah." Happily Cole squeezed his hand into a fist and then reached down to pick up Judo from the floor. The puppy happily licked the side of Cole's face and wagged his tail as the little boy held him with both arms. "We're better."

Connor looked at the group in his bedroom; his father, brother, Sumo and Judo, and realized he had a real family. One he wanted to protect with his life and one he was determined to keep safe and happy. "...Maybe I should rest in the livingroom." The deviant decided in an almost casual manner. "That way we won't have to be crammed in my small bedroom. We can be more comfortable in the bigger livingroom."

Just as Connor was quick to catch onto his own hint Hank picked up on what Connor was suggesting. "Yeah, and we can just sit in the middle of the couch and watch a bunch of movies until we pass out. Shouldn't take too long, I know I'm exhausted." Offering Connor his hand Hank easily pulled the deviant up and off of the bed back to his feet. "Come on." Letting Connor lean against his side again Hank watched as Cole put his hand on Connor's opposite arm as if to help support the deviant, too. "The sooner we're down there and relaxed on the couch, the sooner I can get some damn sleep."

"That sounds good to me. How about you, Cole?"

"Yeah." The little boy sounded as tired as Hank and Connor felt. "It's better to sleep here than at a facility or a hospital."

Hank laughed and agreed wholeheartedly. "You're one-hundred percent right on that one, son."

* * *

Sure enough within an hour the family had gathered on the couch to watch a movie and had slowly fallen asleep one by one. Hank had been the first to pass out and was leaning heavily against a large, square pillow against the armrest, and Cole was sitting in the middle between Hank and Connor under a blanket that was spread out over the three of them. Judo as curled up on Cole's lap and in a deep sleep while Sumo had spread out his massive body to lay over all three of the occupants of the couch.

Connor rubbed his hand along Sumo's ears and watched from the corner of his eye as Cole's heavy eyes fell shut and he began to fall asleep. As the little boy gave way to sleep Connor smirked and felt completely at home as Cole ended up leaning against his side and arm in a deep slumber. Tired himself Connor leaned his head back and cybernetically lowered the volume on the movie as the family stayed by one another on the couch.

"...I now know for certain that I did the right thing." Connor told himself as he compared the two timelines together and noted the drastic improvement in Hank's health, his mood and overall mental stability.

The changes not only helped Hank; possibly even saved him from himself, but they allowed an innocent child to live on and had even allowed a small puppy to be brought into a loving home instead of staying at the shelter.

The precinct had also been affected in a positive manner. While Tina had tragically lost her boyfriend in a car accident she did gain a daughter that had ever been born in the other timeline, and Gavin had mellowed out considerably as he volunteered to help his best friend raise her baby. There was also a substantial leap of faith toward the precinct in regards of deviant protection, and it seemed like that faith hadn't been misplaced.

New Jericho Tower was still thriving and Markus had maintained a healthy, safe and protective environment for deviants in need of shelter. There was also a well known bond of trust between Markus and Connor that had given the city a prime example of how androids rights had been approved, respected and acknowledged in light of the peaceful Revolution.

"It was a risk but it paid off. My friends," he whispered as he looked over at Hank, down at Cole and then at the two dogs cuddled up with them. "...my family, is safe." The very term seemed to catch Connor unexpectedly off guard. "...My _family_." A smile appeared on his face as he realized how easily the concept came to his mind and how normal it felt. "I truly have a family. A father and a little brother."

The idea of an android having any type of family was always mocked and laughed at by bigoted humans.

How could a machine have a family? How could machines understand love, life, pain, emotions or dreams? How could _plastic_ be _alive_?

As is turns out the 'how' isn't important at all. It's the 'when' that decides how androids and humans can come together as friends, live together as people and most importantly, recognize one another as a family.

Connor sighed and looked at Cole's exposed prosthetic arm, seeing the perfect connection between humans and androids being able to coexist just sitting there, a part of one little boy's life. A life that had been saved, changed and given a second chance to actually live. It was like the Revolution had taken place for the Anderson family long before that fateful night in Hart Plaza.

"...I'm really home."

_**-End of Story-** _


End file.
